KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Sweep Los Angeles Dodgers

If all the Cincinnati Reds had to do was play teams from Los Angeles they would be in a much better position. When the Reds last won a series, over a month ago, it was a sweep against the Los Angeles Angels. Now, after going 0-8-1 in their last nine series, Cincinnati has a sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers on their resume as well. The sweep couldn’t have come at a better time either. After losing two of three to the San Diego Padres, the Reds record had hit a season worst 20-30. The current 23-30 mark still isn’t pretty, but at least there is finally some positive momentum.

Oddly enough, Cincinnati is 8-6 against the Phillies and Dodgers who are the two best teams in the National League. However, the 15-24 against everyone else leaves plenty to be desired. The Reds will get a chance to improve on that this week with six games within the National League Central.

The rival St. Louis Cardinals come to town on Memorial Day for a 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time first pitch. Nick Lodolo will take the mound against veteran Lance Lynn in game one. Then, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas are scheduled to start on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. After a day off Thursday, the Cincinnati Reds will hit the road for a three game set at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. A pair of series wins against inter-division rivals would help maintain the positive momentum built from sweeping the Dodgers.

Long Ball Powers Reds in Series Opener

Sometimes timely hitting is more important than the raw number of hits you collect. The Cincinnati Reds certainly proved that point on Friday night at Great American Ball Park. It took only six hits to power their way to a 9-6 series opening victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three long balls accounted for eight of the nine runs which included a grand slam by Jonathan India to break a tie in the fifth inning.

India’s grand slam proved to be the headline, but Spencer Steer’s three run bomb in the first inning set the tone. Los Angeles came back with five unanswered runs off of Graham Ashcraft, but the Reds offense got up off the mat and responded. Trailing 5-3 in the fifth, after a home run from Will Smith, the rally Reds responded with six runs of their own.

Stuart Fairchild got the party started with a solo shot to the opposite field to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Then, with two outs and nobody on, the wheels fell off for the Dodger’s pitching staff. They loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch before a second hit by pitch tied the game at 5-5. After a second pitching change of the inning, Jonathan India connected on a full-count fastball and squeaked it over the left field fence for a grand slam. It was the perfect culmination to the two-out rally and gave the Reds a commanding 9-5 advantage.

Pitching with the lead, the Cincinnati Reds bullpen did their job to secure the victory. Sam Moll, Buck Farmer, Lucas Sims, and Brent Suter combined to close things out. Teoscar Hernandez connected on a solo shot in the top of the ninth off of Suter, but that is all the Dodgers could muster against the bullpen. Cincinnati eventually came away with a 9-6 victory.

Hunter Greene Continues to Pitch Well as Reds Clinch Series

It had been over a month since the Cincinnati Reds won a series. After going 0-8-1 in their last nine tries, the Reds clinched a series win on Saturday evening with a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers. Once again, it was Hunter Greene leading the way on the mound. Then, at the plate, two home runs proved to be enough to secure the win. Through two games in the series, 10 of the Reds 12 runs had come via the long ball.

Hunter Greene is 3-1 in his last seven starts with a ERA of 2.45. Most importantly, he has become much more efficient this season. The 24-year old has gotten through at least five innings in 10 of 12 starts this year and gone at least six innings seven times. Overall, he is now 3-2 with a 3.06 earned run average. He also has 71 strikeouts in 64.2 innings with 25 walks allowed. On Saturday, he allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work.

For the second straight night, Spencer Steer connected on a home run in his first at-bat. It was a solo shot on Saturday night to get things going. Then, Will Benson went deep in the second inning to break a 1-1 tie and the Reds never looked back from there. Elly De La Cruz tacked on an insurance run in the sixth with a single. That 3-1 advantage would hold to become the final score as Cincinnati secured the series win over the Dodgers. Fernando Cruz, Sam Moll, and Alexis Diaz made quick work of their respective innings of relief. The save was Diaz’s ninth of the season.

SWEEP!!!

There is something about Nick Martinez as a reliever that is just different than him as a starter. Brent Suter was used as an opener on Sunday afternoon. Then, Martinez came in and delivered four and one-third innings of nearly perfect baseball. He allowed just one hit while striking out three to record the victory. Carson Spiers was excellent in long relief as well eating up three and one-third innings. Finally, Alexis Diaz slammed the door shut for the second straight game to earn his 10th save of the season.

The splits between starting and pitching in relief are staggering for Nick Martinez. In five starts, he is 0-3 with a 7.36 earned run average. He has allowed 39 hits and 23 runs (21 earned) in 25.2 innings pitched as a starter. However, in relief, he has been one of the most effective pitchers in baseball. Through 21.2 innings out of the bullpen, Martinez has allowed just two earned runs. That comes out to an ERA of 0.83. He is also 2-0 now in relief and has allowed only 11 hits. The strategy of using an opener for him certainly seems to be one that works.

All of the Reds offense came in the third inning of this contest. Jonathan India drove in a pair of runs with a single to make it 2-0. Then, Nick Martini followed him with a two-run single of his own making it a 4-0 game. The Dodgers wouldn’t get on the board until the ninth inning when Freddie Freeman drove in Shohei Ohtani with a double. It ended as a 4-1 win for the Cincinnati Reds as they completed the series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.