The Los Angeles Dodgers stayed hot, winning their fifth consecutive game by defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the series opener at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
The Dodgers’ come-from-behind win was their 42nd of the season, which is tied for the most in the Majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The victory also lowered the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch both the National League West and a Postseason berth to eight.
L.A. swept Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium last season and took the season series 5-1. Monday marked the first of seven games between the teams over the next 11 days.
Dodgers 6, Reds 3: key takeaways
Dodgers offense tallies just three hits
While the Dodgers scored six runs, they did so on just three hits, and the first two came off the bat of Teoscar Hernández. Chase Burns no-hit L.A. through the first three innings, but exited the game in the fourth.
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that Hernández broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single. Alex Call ended up being hit by a pitch with two outs, and then Miguel Rojas hit a high chopper to third base, which resulted in two runs scoring.
Ke’Bryan Hayes tried to get Rojas at first, but made a low throw that the first baseman was unable to pick out of the dirt. As the ball rolled away from him into the outfield, both Hernández and Call scored to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Walks from Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy set the stage for another rally in the sixth inning, and a homer from Hernández capped it off to put L.A. up 5-1. The red-hot outfielder has completely rejuvenated the Dodgers’ lineup, and continued to carry them in another game.
Max Muncy picked up the third hit in the eighth inning, which put two in scoring position after Tommy Edman reached on an error. Edman ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly from Will Smith.
Emmet Sheehan returns with strong outing
Emmet Sheehan was called up before the game to make the start, and he ended up turning in a strong outing for the Dodgers.
The right-hander allowed a solo home run to Elly De La Cruz in the first inning, but quickly settled in and gave the Dodgers 5.2 innings of one-run ball without allowing a baserunner from the second through fifth innings. He also added 10 strikeouts while walking just one and allowing three hits.
Sheehan ran out of gas in the sixth inning, which is when he allowed two more hits and the walk, which gave the Reds the bases loaded with two outs. That ended his night, and Alex Vesia entered to get the strikeout and strand the bases loaded.
Shohei Ohtani returns to lineup
After missing the previous four games due to injuries, Shohei Ohtani was back in the lineup on Monday. Ohtani was in his usual leadoff spot as the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
The superstar has dealt with lingering left knee soreness, right biceps discomfort, and a recent neck issue. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Ohtani reported the neck trouble after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
After taking a few days off, Ohtani continued to look off at the plate. He went 0-for-3 and struck out twice while also drawing a walk. However, it’s unclear if that was more rust or the injuries continuing to affect him.
Roberts was noncommittal about Ohtani being back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game when asked on Monday afternoon.
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