After playing 28 innings in two days against the San Diego Padres over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers were buoyed by a Clayton Kershaw complete-game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
The Dodgers looked to extend their modest winning streak to three games, facing a Reds team that was mired in an eight-game losing streak. Tuesday’s matchup had Mike Bolsinger and Daniel Wright on the mound, both starters who weren’t listed at the initial probables.
For Wright, it was his Major League debut. Joey Votto doubled with one out in the first inning, but that’s the only baserunner Bolsinger allowed as he retired the next two batters.
Wright gave up three straight hits, including an RBI single to Justin Turner to start his career. Wright settled in to retire the next three hitters, limiting the damage to just one run. Bolsinger quickly worked through the second inning on a strikeout and pair of fly outs.
Wright followed suit in the bottom of the second, keeping the Dodgers’ lead at 1-0. Bolsinger notched back-to-back strikeouts in the third inning, then fielded a Zack Cozart bunt single attempt for the third out.
CONTINUE READING: Trayce Thompson, Joc Pederson provide spark
Utley collected his second hit of the game with a leadoff single to right-center field, but he was stranded by Corey Seager, Turner and Adrian Gonzalez. Bolsinger picked up another set of strikeouts in the fourth inning before running into some bad luck.
A Jay Bruce grounder up the first base line hit the bag and carried over Gonzalez’s head into right field for a gift double. Adam Duvall then put the Reds ahead by lifting a 1-2 pitch for a two-run home run that just cleared Joc Pederson’s leaping attempt in center field.
The Reds’ 2-1 lead didn’t last long, with Trayce Thompson’s leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth followed by a Pederson RBI double. Pederson later stole third base and scored on Tucker Barnhart’s throwing error.
Bolsinger set the Reds down in order in the fifth, ending the inning with his sixth strikeout of the game. Walking Brandon Phillips with two outs in the sixth marked the end of the road for Bolsinger, who gave way to Luis Avilan.
Bruce hit a grounder to Gonzalez, who was playing even with first base. Thompson doubled off the right field fence with one out in the sixth and took an extra base on Bruce’s bobble. Dayan Diaz took over for the Reds and walked Pederson to put runners on the corners with one out.
Puig drove an RBI single off the wall in right field, staring long enough before running that it wasn’t an extra-base hit. Yasmani Grandal reached on a fielder’s choice, with Votto electing to throw home to get Pederson in a rundown.
However, Votto then committed an error on a grounder hit to his right, and Puig raced around from second base to score on the play. Puig appeared to hit his left hand on Howie Kendrick’s bat during his head-first slide into home, and was removed in the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton took over on the mound and Kendrick remained in the game in left field, which moved Thompson to right. Blanton tossed a scoreless seventh inning and Pedro Baez did the same in the eighth.
Kendrick, Utley and Seager drew consecutive walks to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Turner provided some insurance with a two-run single, and Gonzalez chipped in with an RBI single to give the Dodgers an 8-2 lead before the Reds bullpen managed to get out of the inning.
Adam Liberatore recorded the final three outs to push the Dodgers’ winning streak to three games, matching a season high.