Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup for a fifth time in the last six games, but the Los Angeles Dodgers once again did not miss a beat as they defeated the Cincinnati Reds.
With that, the Dodgers tied their season-high winning streak of six games. They previously rattled off six victories in a row from May 23-29 and also Aug. 17-23. Moreover, the Dodgers are in position to sweep the Reds at Dodger Stadium for the second year in a row.
The Dodgers now have eight consecutive home wins against the Reds in a stretch that dates back to May 17, 2024.
Dodgers 3, Reds 2: key takeaways
Tarik Skubal’s start
Tarik Skubal pitched 7.1 innings and limited the Reds to two runs. He was dominant early and gave up both runs on a towering homer hit by Elly De La Cruz.
That gave De La Cruz his fourth consecutive game with a home run, and his 444-foot blast was good for the longest at Dodger Stadium this season.
The outing marked Skubal’s first time pitching into the eighth inning with the Dodgers and only his second instance of the season. Skubal struck out five batters and lowered his ERA to 2.93 over seven starts with the Dodgers.
Teoscar Hernández’s hot bat
Teoscar Hernández extended his hitting streak to nine games with a two-out triple in the third inning. However, he was thrown out trying to stretch it to an inside-the-park home run as the Reds completed a strong relay after the ball got by Dane Myers on his diving attempt in center field.
That kept the game tied until Hernández delivered a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning.
Shohei Ohtani building up
Given that Ohtani recently was out of the lineup because of left knee and right bicep injuries, there was some initial concern to see him not playing again. However, manager Dave Roberts explained that decision stemmed from the Dodgers taking a deliberate approach in easing Ohtani back into action.
Roberts added the Dodgers are likely going to provide Ohtani with more days of rest over the final weeks of the regular season. Freddie Freeman filled designated hitter duties on Tuesday night in his first time doing so since 2020.
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