The Cincinnati Reds let one slip away against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they can scarcely afford many more instances of that in 2025.
The Reds offense squeezed out four runs against Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow on July 29, and Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo had another start in-keeping with the tenor of what has shaped up to be the best season of his career so far. Those ingredients allowed the Reds to take a 4-2 lead into the seventh inning against the defending World Series champions.
But the champs roared back to win, 5-4. They plated two runs against Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft to tie the game at four in the seventh inning. Then, facing Reds reliever Emilio Pagán in the ninth, Los Angeles took the lead for good as Will Smith doubled off the wall in left field, punishing Pagán for allowing a leadoff walk.
All five of the Los Angeles runs in the contest were scored with two outs.
For now, the third National League Wild Card position that the Reds are in contention for isn’t going to get too far out of reach. At worst, the Reds will be three games back of the third Wild Card spot entering play on July 30.
But the Reds had the July 29 game within their grasp. They twice loaded the bases with less than two outs in the fifth inning and scored just one run from those situations. For the game, Cincinnati went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
“Would have been nice if we could have spread it out, for sure, because of what happened,” Reds manager Terry Francona said.
The Dodgers went ahead in the second inning on a two-run homer by Tommy Edman with two outs. That was the only real blight on Lodolo’s night.
Lodolo went five and 1/3 innings and exited the game in line for the win.
“He competed like crazy and again, pitch counts are gonna be elevated against lineups like that because they make you work so hard,” Francona said. “But he kept them off the scoreboard really well.”
Lodolo struck out Ohtani (0-for-5, four strikeouts) three times.
“One through nine, really solid. Good (at-bats) all the way through,” Lodolo said of facing Los Angeles. “Not that there’s ever a let-up point but every guy’s gonna give it to you, so go right at them.”
Lodolo hasn’t missed a start in 2025 and is building toward careers-bests in several areas.
“Oh, my gosh, to have that guy (Lodolo) healthy and healthy for making all his starts and being consistent with it is tremendous,” Jake Fraley said. “What he did tonight against a lineup like that, it’s what we all know Lodolo can do. He was phenomenal tonight.”
The Reds responded to Edman’s home rune with a relative power surge in the fourth inning, hitting two home runs of their own. That power output of two homers in an inning equaled the Reds’ home run total from the previous nine games combined.
Fraley clapped a two-run homer 405 feet. It was his sixth of the year. Noelvi Marte homered 350 feet, and that solo shot put the Reds in front at 3-2.
Elly De La Cruz drove in the fourth run an inning later when he grounded into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.
All four of the Reds’ runs were charged to Glasnow, who started strong against the Reds but walked five batters, including the last three he faced in the fifth inning. Glasnow (no decision) went four-plus innings and departed the game in line for the loss.
But in the seventh inning, the Dodgers got to Ashcraft. And against Pagán in the ninth, Smith’s RBI double hit the base of the left field wall and was deadened there. Absent a bounce back toward Gavin Lux, Lux had to retreat to claim the ball. That allowed James Outman enough time to score.
Outman was inserted into the game to run for Michael Conforto, who started the ninth with a walk.
The loss dropped the Reds to 56-52, and they’ll need to win the July 30 series finale against the Dodgers to avoid their first sweep of the season. Cincinnati is scheduled to send starter Nick Martinez (9-9, 4.69 ERA) to the mound against probable Dodgers starter, Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 1.50 ERA).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dodgers come from behind to beat the Reds, take series win in Cincinnati
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
