Dodgers power past Reds in series finale, 18-9
Tyler Holt pitched, Jumbo Diaz batted. Both had some small measure of success.
The Cincinnati Reds as a collective did not, falling 18-9 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-hour, 2-minute game at Great American Ball Park that was notable more for its oddities than any meaning it had for the Reds’ season.
The Reds allowed seven home runs, tying a club record they’d just set back in May. Three of them belonged to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Cincinnati also allowed season highs in runs and hits (21).
“Fluky?” manager Bryan Price said. “It’s one out of 124 games. That ratio I think we can live with.”
The odd and unrepeatable nature of the outcome is why most Reds weren’t very morose after the game. The Dodgers “beat our brains in today,” as catcher Tucker Barnhart said, but the Reds have been very competitive for the last month-plus. Every pitcher that struggled has been considered a bright spot for Cincinnati in the not distant past.
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The first of those was starter Homer Bailey, who hit a to-be-expected rough start in his return from Tommy John surgery that began less than a month ago. Bailey was knocked out of the game after six runs and 2 1/3 innings, handing the game over to a bullpen that had lost one of its long men to a minor-league demotion over the weekend.
Price summoned Josh Smith to replace him, and Smith fared capably for an inning and two-thirds. Then he gave up three home runs in the fifth, all three to rookies. The first two – back-to-back shots by Andrew Toles and Rob Segedin – represented each hitter’s first major-league home run.
“We’ve been throwing the ball well as a staff,” Smith said. “This was just one of those days that for whatever reason they saw it better. We didn’t make the pitches. It kind of happens.”
After the third bomb, Smith was removed for Jumbo Diaz, who immediately gave up Gonzalez’s second homer. Diaz got out of the inning without further offense and was gifted a chance to take his first major-league at-bat. He swung at the first pitch and managed to make contact, but it resulted in a groundout.
Diaz pitched a perfect sixth and gave way to Blake Wood with two on and one out in the seventh, only for Wood to cough up back-to-back bombs for the final two home runs of the day. Reds relievers have now allowed 25 home runs to the first batter they’ve faced this season.
“You get into your middle relief guys and the game’s kind of out of control a little bit,” Price said. “Your later-game relief pitchers aren’t coming in with the same fire and intensity. They’re trying, but a lot of guys are feeding off adrenaline in those situations.”
The Reds offense kept churning along – Jose Peraza had four hits against his former team, and Joey Votto fell a home run short of hitting for the cycle – but it was really all a prologue for Holt’s debut on the mound. The reserve outfielder had been itching to pitch for a long time, although hadn’t thrown a competitive pitch since Little League.
Price sent him to hit in the pitcher’s spot in the bottom of the eighth knowing he’d take the mound, and Holt admitted that he had trouble concentrating on his at-bat. Before the top of the ninth, he informed Barnhart he’d feature a knuckleball he learned at age eight. Barnhart told him he better not throw it too hard and break one of his fingers.
“You try to be smart,” Holt said, happy for his debut despite its circumstances. “You want to have a good time, but you try to take it serious.”
Holt’s first pitch was a 63 mph knuckler that Joc Pederson fouled off. Pederson then smacked a 68 mph fastball to center for an out. Holt then retired Howie Kendrick on two batting-practice fastballs before getting Toles to fly out on another knuckleball to complete his inning.
Holt’s moment lasted only five pitches, although the Reds were able to save and authenticate the ball from his last two outs. The ball from his first out was ultimately fouled off into the stands by Kendrick.
“I can’t answer that in a serious tone,” Price said when asked about Holt. “I can answer it in the fact that with his limited number of pitches thrown, he’ll probably be good to go tomorrow.”
If the Reds need him again, something has gone horribly wrong.