Steve Webb
CINCINNATI, OH — Now, that’s more like it! The Dodgers put on their hittin’ shoes in Cincinnati on Tuesday night, blistering the ball all over the Great American Ballpark. By the time the final out was made, they had tallied 17 hits in an 8-2 victory over the Reds. Yes, it was the Reds, but at the same time, it felt very very good.
Teams trade homers early
It was a Caturday in this one. Tony Gonsolin took the mound with his out-of-this-world stats, and though he battled a bit on Tuesday, in the end he had a very nice outing. After Will Smith homered in the top of the first of Reds starter Tyler Mahle, Gonsolin looked pretty human in his first two innings. Jonathon India hit a lead-off homer in the first and Albert Almora Jr. hit a solo shot of his own in the second to put the Reds up 2-1. It looked like, for a hot minute anyway, that Gonsolin’s winning streak might be in jeopardy.
But Goose settled down in a big way after the second inning. Because of all the pitches in the early innings, it took him 87 pitches to get through five innings, but the Dodger righty didn’t really have a high stress inning all night. After he walked Jonathan India in the top of the third, Gonsolin retired 12 straight hitters, and left the game on a very good note. His line for the evening: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He left the game with the lead, so stretches his W-L record to 9-0. Not too shabby, eh?
Bats come alive early, add on late
On the other side of the ledger, it was a totally different story. The Dodgers came to hit in this one. And hit they did. Especially at the top of the lineup. With Will Smith hitting in the three-hole, the first three guys in the Dodger lineup were all over Reds pitching in this one, and it was something to see: Trea, 4-for-5, Freddie, 3-for-4, Smith, 2-for-4. For you math-challenged folks, that adds up to 9-for-13. That’s gonna win some ball games.
Particularly of note were two CLUTCH hits from Freddie Freeman. First, he drove in a pair with a double in the top of the third, and a HUGE bases-clearing triple in the top of the eighth to blow the game wide open.
In between the two outbursts, the Dodgers played some small ball. Justin Turner, who had two hits on the day, barely missed a homerun and had to settle for a leadoff double. But then (brace yourself), a Dodger player laid down a sacrifice bunt. That’s right. It was Eddie Alvarez who did it, so it sort of makes sense, but it was the first sac bunt of the entire season for the Dodgers. Don’t expect to see too many more.
Anderson back on the bump on Wednesday
Now that Gonsolin has notched his ninth victory, it’s Tyler Anderson‘s turn on Wednesday. He’s hoping to be the beneficiary of some of that Dodger offense that was on display in this one. It will be a tall order though. Luis Castillo, the oft-rumored trade deadline prize, will be on the bump for the Reds. He’s got a decent, not great, season going (2-4, 3.33), so it’s going to be interesting to see what he’s got in his toolkit on Wednesday. Once again, it’s an early start: 3:40 PDT. Let’s hope the hits can keep coming.
Cans of Corn…
- Gotta give some love to CT3, and his three-hit night. He scorched the ball all day.
- This was Trea’s first 4-hit game as a Dodger.
- Pen looked very good in relief. Four shutout innings, only one hit.
- New Dodger (and former Dodger) Trayce Thompson got into the the ballgame, pinch hitting in the 8th. 3-pitch K.
- Caleb Ferguson to the IL with tendonitis in his left forearm.
- A little more batting practice before we roll into Atlanta, please.
