*Photo from AP News*
Tuesday's game showed the Los Angeles Dodgers life without Mookie Betts, and so far they're off to a good start. Will Smith homered, Freddie Freeman drove in 5 runs, and the Dodgers cruised past the Cincinnati Reds with a 8-2 victory on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
With Betts on the 10 Day IL due to an injury, it was the contributions of Freeman and Smith that drove the Dodgers to a win, giving them their 5th win in 10 games. The Dodgers maintained the top spot in the NL West, with Freeman and Smith responsible for 7 of the 8 runs scored by the Dodgers.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman that "I think those premier middle-of-the-order guys, their DNA is to really, really lock in with guys in scoring position. I think, not to say he gives anything up when guys aren’t in scoring position or on base, but there’s just that extra layer of finding a way of putting the ball in play, and those numbers don’t lie. He’s elite at that, and has been his entire career."
Starting the scoring almost immediately was Smith, who hit a solo homer in the top of the first to make it 1-0 Dodgers. In the bottom of the first, Jonathan India answered with a solo shot for the Reds, tying the game 1-1. In the second, the Reds took a 2-1 lead when Albert Almora Jr hit a solo homer. In the 3rd inning, the Dodgers grabbed a 3-2 lead thanks to Freeman, who hit a two run double to right field.
One inning later, in the 4th, the Dodgers widened their lead to 4-2, when Justin Turner scored on a sac fly off the bat of Gavin Lux. With the bases loaded in the 8th, Freeman drove in all 3 runs, doubling to deep center field to break the game open and make it 7-2 Dodgers. Freeman then scored on a sac fly from Smith, making it an 8-2 game.
Freeman said after the game that "We haven’t been swinging the bats very good for a couple of weeks. It’s not just situational hitting. It’s hitting in general. This is a hard game. It was nice to get a day off, a couple days off in the past week, and come out and have a good start to the road trip."
Getting the start for the Dodgers was Tony Gonsolin, who became the first pitcher in MLB to reach 9 wins, allowing two runs on 3 hits in 5 innings. The bullpen then recorded a shutout in the rest of the game, with Evan Phillips, Phil Bickford, Brusdar Graterol, and David Price shutting the door.
For the Reds, Tyler Mahle took the bump, and had a solid start despite an inflated run total. Mahle allowed 4 runs on 12 hits, taking the loss over 6 innings. Reiver Sanmartin was first out of the bullpen, working 1 1/3 innings before Luis Cessa and Dauri Moreta made relief appearances.
Reds manager David Bell said of Mahle that "We’re used to seeing Tyler do really special things on the mound and have great nights. In some ways, starts like the one he had tonight are even more impressive to me. Against that lineup, keeping us in the game. He allowed some hits on a couple well-placed, taking nothing away from the Dodgers, ground balls. It could’ve been different. Overall, Tyler just gave everything he had, all the way to the last hitter to give us a shot."
Up next, the Dodgers and Reds continue their series on Wednesday night in Cincinnati. The Dodgers send Tyler Anderson to the mound to make the start, while Luis Castillo starts for the Reds.
Comments
Post a Comment