The Cincinnati Reds walked into a pulsing Dodger Stadium Tuesday night, having just earned their ticket to the playoffs.
Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene took the mound against two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani Tuesday night. The ball whizzed in at 100.4 miles per hour and left at a shocking speed of 117.7 miles per hour. Only the first batter of the night, Ohtani was already circling the bases, and unbeknownst to the Reds, the game was far from over yet.
Right-fielder Teoscar Hernandez matched the tone in the third, hitting a three-run homer deep into left field. Tommy Edman followed with a solo home run that led to Greene’s exit from the mound after just three short innings.
Relief pitcher Scott Barlow replaced Greene, but heo didn’t fare any better and gave up another two home runs that resulted in a four-run rally.
Dodgers left-handed pitcher Blake Snell pitched seven quality innings, giving up a mere four hits and two runs.
When LA decided to bring out relievers like Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer, the crowd signaled they weren’t fans of the move and wanted to seal the deal. The worry in the stands grew even more after the Reds quickly scored three runs, but Dreyer struck out Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson with the bases loaded, putting the Dodgers one game closer to advancing.
The following night, the Dodgers started right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. A fly ball into right field in the first inning should have ended it, but Hernandez dropped the ball, allowing Reds third baseman Sal Steward to cross home plate with a single during the next at-bat. The Dodgers made up for it when Yamamoto displayed top form from the top of the second inning to the sixth, retiring 13 consecutive batters.
Offensively, the Dodgers slowly chipped away at Reds pitcher Zack Littell, who was overwhelmed by the constant traffic coming his way. His pitching eventually broke down in the third inning, when Dodgers catcher Ben Rortverdt sliced a leadoff double down left field to set up shortstop Mookie Betts for an RBI single.
After the Dodgers stretched the score to 8-2, the Dodgers’ bullpen once again made fans anxious. Relief pitcher Emmet Sheehan went up to the mound and proceeded to give the Reds two runs in the eighth before being pulled off in the middle of an at-bat against Reds right-fielder Will Benson. Vesia took over and struck out Benson.
In the ninth and final inning, relief pitcher Roki Sasaki had an opportunity to close the game and show some of what he’s capable of. Sasaki delivered fastballs averaging over 100 miles per hour along with several of his swing-and-miss splitters, a positive sign for the up-and-comer. The Dodgers took the second game 8-4 and advanced with a score of 8-4 by the end.