The Los Angeles Dodgers went into Wednesday’s game having dropped all six games to the Cincinnati Reds this season. Another loss, and the Dodgers would face a daunting reality of being swept in the season series by one of the National League’s worst teams.
Jose Peraza’s solo home run in the first inning put the Dodgers in an early deficit. They struggled to gain any traction against Anthony DeSclafani, as he was perfect through three innings.
But that was snapped when Joc Pederson led off the fourth inning with his second home run in as many games. Max Muncy’s two-out single led to another run as he scored on Yasmani Grandal’s ground-rule double before DeSclafani could get out of the inning.
The Dodgers then blew the game open with a four-run fifth inning. Justin Turner delivered a two-run single, Grandal drove in another run with a base hit, and a run scored on Cody Bellinger’s grounder that Scooter Gennett drew an error on for failing to field it.
Turner and Grandal were then at the heart of the Dodgers’ offense again in the sixth, with the former hitting an RBI double and the latter a run-scoring single. Grandal and Turner tied with a game-best three RBI in the Dodgers’ 8-1 win.
Ross Stripling allowed just the one run in 3.1 innings, and he was backed by a bullpen that turned in 5.2 scoreless innings. Included in that was Kenley Jansen working a 1-2-3 ninth in his first action in a week.
