Reds can't keep up with Freddie Freeman, Dodgers as losing streak reaches six games
No matter how the Cincinnati Reds tried to stop Freddie Freeman from beating them, all their moves backfired Wednesday as they extended their losing streak to six games.
Reds starter Luis Castillo, who hit Freeman with a pitch before he gave up a run in the third inning, surrendered an RBI single on a first-pitch changeup in the fifth inning that dropped below the strike zone and past the outside corner.
With the score tied in the seventh inning, the Reds used lefthanded reliever Ross Detwiler to face Freeman in a lefty-lefty matchup. Freeman launched a 417-foot, solo homer for the go-ahead run in the Reds’ 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a crowd of 17,344.
Reds notebook: Reds receive some good news with injured players as Donovan Solano returns
Six-man rotation: Evaluating if it would make sense for the Reds
The Dodgers, who have the highest payroll in baseball, agreed to a six-year, $162 million contract with Freeman on March 16. That was two days after the Reds traded Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners and three days after they traded Sonny Gray to the Minnesota Twins.
The Reds have a 0-6 record against the Dodgers this season, outscored 42-13 in those games. That’s the gap between the Reds and arguably the most talented roster in the National League.
"We just have to keep playing, have to find ways to keep hitting better ... that's the only choice," Reds Manager David Bell said. "Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of shortcuts. You just have to work, play and keep going. I know every player in the clubhouse will do that."
These games between the Reds, who are now 20 games below .500, and the Dodgers are won on the field and partially in the offseason. The Reds cut costs and the Dodgers bolstered their strong lineup with winning World Series titles as their only expectation.
Castillo, who entered Wednesday with a 1.90 career ERA against the Dodgers, required 103 pitches to record 15 outs. There were some flashes of excellence, particularly flipping his slider for strikes early in counts, but he was doomed by a 30-pitch fifth inning.
Pitching with a two-run lead in the fifth inning, four consecutive batters reached base against Castillo, which started with Freeman’s RBI single on a well-placed pitch. Chris Taylor was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the score and Justin Turner added a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
"Obviously, he's one of the best batters in Major League Baseball," Castillo said of Freeman, who has 11 hits and 11 RBI in six games against the Reds this season. "I threw a great pitch at him and he just put it in where they weren't."
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Albert Almora Jr. continues strong season
After the Dodgers’ big inning, their one-run lead lasted only four pitches. Albert Almora Jr. crushed a solo homer to left field, connecting on an elevated 90-mph fastball. It was a no-doubter and Almora smoothly dropped his bat as he began his home run trot.
Almora has always carried a defense-first reputation in the Major Leagues, but he’s earned an everyday role with the Reds because of his bat. He has 14 RBI this month, matching a career high, according to Bally Sports.
The Reds had an opportunity to retake the lead in the fifth inning after Jonathan India was hit by a pitch and Brandon Drury followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Tommy Pham flied out to left field and the Reds made the decision to test Taylor’s arm with India. Taylor’s throw to the plate beat India by several feet and the inning ended with a double play to kill the potential rally as Joey Votto stood on deck.
"There have been so many times on the same play that J.R. has sent guys and they made it," Bell said. "It's a tough spot. I 100% would have sent the runner there myself. It’s part of the game. They make a perfect play, a great play, they cut down the runner. That’s baseball.”
Two innings later, Freeman hammered a homer off Detwiler. Three innings later, the Dodgers increased their lead to four runs with a rally against Joel Kuhnel.
The Reds scored three runs in the second inning after Almora extended a rally with his speed and hustle. Almora hurried to beat out a potential inning-ending double play, the call on the field reversed by a replay review. Aramis Garcia followed with an RBI single, a rocket stopped in the infield by a diving Trea Turner, but Turner’s throw to first base skipped to the dugout.
Almora added a run when he sprinted to the plate on a wild pitch. It was just the third time in 13 outings Dodgers lefty Tyler Anderson surrendered more than two runs.
The Reds' early three-run lead didn't last. The Dodgers scraped for runs against Castillo and beat up on the Reds' bullpen with five hits and four runs from the top three hitters in their lineup.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dodgers beat Reds as Freddie Freeman, Albert Almora have big nights
