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Recap: Dodgers Take Advantage Of Reds’ Miscues In Win

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
David Kohl/USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers were slow to get going and needed some assistance from the Cincinnati Reds playing sloppy defense to come away with a 5-1 win to set the stage for a rubber match at Great American Ball Park on Sunday.

Sonny Gray retired the first 11 batters faced before Trea Turner reached on grounder to third base that was ruled a hit. Mike Moustakas’ throw to first base beat Turner but was low and Joey Votto couldn’t make a clean catch.

Nothing came of Turner reaching, but it marked the start of a rough afternoon for Moustakas. After a Justin Turner leadoff double in the fifth inning, Moustaks was unable to cleanly field a hard-hit grounder off Chris Taylor’s bat and he compounded that by throwing wide of first base.

Gavin Lux took advantage of the throwing error by delivering a two-run triple that broke up the scoreless tie. The extra-base hit was more of the same for Lux, who has hit well since getting recalled and didn’t appear to be feeling any lingering effects from taking a pitch off his right forearm before Friday’s game.

Then with runners at the corners and one out in the sixth inning, Taylor’s safety squeeze scored Trea Turner to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0. Mookie Betts provided an RBI single in the ninth for a final bit of insurance.

By then it had been more than enough for Max Scherzer and the bullpen in a needed win. Scherzer wasn’t sharp but still held the Reds to just two hits and collected seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. He last allowed an earned run on Aug. 21.

After walking Joey Votto in the fourth inning, Scherzer retired the final 12 batters faced. He improved to 7-0 with a 0.78 ERA and 0.66 WHIP in nine starts for the Dodgers.

Dodgers postseason outlook

With their win, the Dodgers temporarily are 1.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West.

The Giants face the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on Saturday night, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. PT.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com