LA Dodgers 8, Cincinnati 7
When: 1:10 PM ET, Sunday, June 18, 2017
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Temperature:
83°
Umpires:
Home -
Jim Reynolds, 1B -
Jim Wolf, 2B -
Lance Barrett, 3B -
Stu Scheurwater
Attendance:
27316
By The Sports Xchange
CINCINNATI -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best bullpens in baseball, but the Cincinnati Reds pushed them to the brink on Sunday afternoon before Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the ninth.
Justin Turner hit a three-run homer, Logan Forsythe added a two-run shot, and left fielder Enrique Hernandez made a game-saving catch in the eighth inning, helping the Dodgers hold on for an 8-7 victory over the Reds on a wild Father's Day afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
The Dodgers (44-26) swept the Reds at Great American Ball Park for the first time since August 2015 and have beaten them eight straight times dating to last season.
"It got a little close for us," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Our bullpen has been lights out all year. Like I've been saying, (the Reds) have a really good offensive club. They put together some good at-bats. To get out of here with three (wins) is huge."
The Dodgers led 8-1 in the sixth, but the Reds rallied back against their bullpen.
Adam Duvall hit a solo shot in the sixth off Grant Dayton, Scooter Gennett added a three-run homer in the seventh off Josh Fields, and Eugenio Suarez went deep off Pedro Baez in the eighth to cut the deficit to 8-6.
Billy Hamilton's two-out, RBI double also in the eighth made it a one-run game. Then, with two runners on, Joey Votto made a bid to put the Reds ahead with a deep drive to left field. But Hernandez made the catch before colliding with the wall to end the inning.
Jansen closed out the win in the ninth for his 15th save to complete the three-game sweep.
Cincinnati (29-39) has lost a season-high nine straight games, its longest streak since an 11-game skid in May of last year.
"We made it a game, but hats off to the Dodgers," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "They won the game. We didn't lose it. It ended up being a better game -- a more entertaining game -- than anybody anticipated."
Los Angeles homered seven times in the series.
Kenta Maeda (5-3) started for the Dodgers on Sunday and allowed one run and only three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
"The team wanted me to be aggressive and the pound the zone and that's what happened," Maeda said, via an interpreter. "I was able to get into a rhythm and didn't change my plan with runners on base."
The story for Cincinnati following Sunday's game was the possibility that it was the final appearance for 40-year-old right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who missed more than two seasons following elbow and shoulder surgeries.
Arroyo lasted only three innings, with five earned runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Following the game, Arroyo revealed he's been experiencing shoulder soreness.
"We tried to patch it up and it worked for a while, but I've been hit around the yard for a while now," Arroyo said. "It gets stiff. The cortisone isn't working anymore. Have I thought 'This time might be my last time on the field'? Yeah."
Arroyo (3-6) who gave up nine earned runs in his last start including a six-run second inning, struck out three batters in the first inning on Sunday. After getting two quick outs in the second inning, things unraveled for him.
Austin Barnes singled, Hernandez doubled, then Maeda lined a double to left driving in two runs to put the Dodgers in front 2-0. Joc Pederson's RBI single made the score 3-0.
Forsythe launched a 2-1 pitch from Arroyo into the left-center field bleachers to give the Dodgers a five-run lead. It was his second home run this season.
Maeda retired the first nine batters he faced before Billy Hamilton led off the third with a single. A one-out walk to Joey Votto and single by Adam Duvall loaded the bases with one out. Maeda hit Scott Schebler to drive in a run.
But Yasiel Puig's sliding grab of Eugenio Suarez's hard liner to right helped Maeda escape the inning with just the one run allowed.
The Dodgers scored eight runs after two outs, including Turner's three-run homer off Wandy Peralta in the sixth. It was Turner's third homer this season.
That proved to be enough offense for the Dodgers.
"The ballclub is playing really well," said Jansen. "Every day, someone else is stepping up. We're doing a great job, just need to keep it up."
NOTES: On Sunday, the Reds recalled RHP Lisalverto Bonilla from Triple-A Louisville and reinstated C Stuart Turner from the 10-day disabled list. They also designated for assignment RHP Asher Wojciechowski and optioned RHP Jake Buchanan to Triple-A. ... The Dodgers optioned RHP Josh Ravin to Triple-A Oklahoma City and recalled RHP Brock Stewart from Triple-A. ... Reds CF Billy Hamilton recorded his first stolen base since May 30 in the fifth inning. He still leads the major leagues with 29 steals.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
LA Dodgers
|
10 |
2 |
20 |
.270 |
14 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Cincinnati
|
9 |
3 |
20 |
.250 |
16 |
9 |
7 |
5 |
1 |
0 |