One day after hitting four home runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers were shut out by the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, snapping a four-game winning streak and setting the stage for a rubber match at Great American Ball Park on Sunday. The loss is the Dodgers’ first in five games against the Reds this season.
Walker Buehler struck out the side in the first inning and generally pitched well enough to earn a win, but ultimately was doomed by trouble in the second and third. Jesse Winker’s leadoff home run snapped the Dodgers’ streak of scoreless innings at 24.
Then after back-to-back singles by Tucker Barnhart and Nick Senzel to open the third, Corey Seager’s throwing error allowed a run to score. The Reds plated two more on Yasiel Puig’s two-out bloop single that Alex Verdugo may have been able to make a diving catch on but instead played it on a bounce.
Puig had two hits on the day, which helped erase some frustration from a three-strikeout performance in the series opener.
As the Dodgers fell into an early deficit they continued to stress Tyler Mahle. L.A. had at least one runner reach in each of the first five innings and worked counts against the right-hander. Overall, they stranded nine and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Buehler nearly managed to help himself with two on in the second inning but Winker made a running catch in left field on his line drive. Nothing came of walks by Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger in the third, as Seager grounded out and Verdugo lined out.
In Seager’s case, he nearly had what would’ve been a go-ahead, three-run home run down the left-field line but it sliced just a few feet foul.
Justin Turner was held out of the lineup as he recovers from a contusion on his left shin that was a result of fouling a pitch off. Turner did pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth inning but grounded out to end the game.
Matt Beaty went 1-for-4 in his first career MLB start.
