Elly De La Cruz shines during Reds 9-0 shutout of the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgersb #78 Michael Grove (RHP) gave up eight runs against the Cincinati Reds. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz electrified Dodger Stadium with four hits, including a solo home run, as the Cincinnati Reds (58-49) shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers (59-45) to reclaim first place atop the NL Central.
Graham Ashcraft (6-7) picked up the win, throwing six innings of shutout ball, while Michael Grove (2-3) gave up eight runs through six innings in the loss.
Poor pitching by Grove out the gate had the Dodgers in a world of trouble early on. De La Cruz opened up the game with a lead-off single. Next up was TJ Friedl, who doubled, scoring De La Cruz, giving the Reds a 1-0 lead two batters in. Grove then lost control hitting Matt McClain.
The fourth batter up was Jake Fraley, who smacked a single into center field, but Dodger outfielder James Outman had an errant throw that scored Friedl. Spencer Steer then grounded out, scoring McClain, giving the Reds an early 3-0 lead through five batters. Grove then settled down striking out the next two batters to end the inning.
"My attack plan wasn't great early on," said Grove. "I got punished because I was leaving pitches over the plate."
Cincinnati Reds #44 Elly De La Cruz (SS) solo home run in the top of the second inning. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.
In the second inning, Grove looked like he had finally settled down retiring the first two batters he faced. Unfortunately for Grove, Dodger fans began chanting "OVERRATED" throughout the stadium as De La Cruz stepped to the plate, motivating the young star to smack a solo 411-foot missile deep into the right field pavilion, sinking Los Angeles further into a 4-0 hole. De La Cruz had been batting .148 over the past two weeks before breaking out of his slump with a four-hit day.
"He knows how to come out of those slumps. He gives us ideas and tips on how we can get out of there too," said De La Cruz crediting teammate Votto, who was batting .105 over the past two weeks.
McLain led off the third inning with a home run blast, the 11th of the year for the hometown kid. The former UCLA Bruin had two hits on the day in front of his hometown crowd. Three batters later Joey Votto hit a two-run blast into the Reds bullpen giving the Reds led 7-0 through three innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers #16 Will Smith (DH) got hit with a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.
Adding insult to injury, the Dodgers lost catcher Will Smith in the fifth inning due to an elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch earlier in the game. This followed J.D. Martinez who exited in the second inning with hamstring issues.
"He couldn't run," said Dodger's manager Dave Roberts of Martinez. "He couldn't really swing the bat."
In the fifth inning, Votto crushed a 94-mph fastball to center field for what looked to be his second home run on the night but James Outman made a spectacular leaping grab over the outfield wall robbing a home run from the Reds. Votto's stopped in his tracks as the web gem unfolded.
"I'm gonna take my cuts," said Votto. "I hit the ball hard today. I just missed that homer."
It was back to business in the sixth inning for the Reds with Friedl driving in another run as Cincinnati went up 8-0.
By the ninth inning, the Dodgers were resigned in their fate, putting shortstop Miguel Rojas on the mound to conserve their bullpen. It was Rojas' first career pitching performance and despite a few fastball strikes, he proceeded to nearly hit Votto, gave up a double, and plunked a batter before giving up another double, which allowed in a final run as the Dodgers closed out the game losing 9-0.
In a few bright spots for the Dodgers, despite giving up eight earned runs, Grove had a career-high 10-strikeouts on the afternoon. Additionally, Mookie Betts is due back in the lineup on Tuesday after missing the last two games.
Clayton Kershaw played catch pregame and could be back on the mound as soon as next weekend following his month-long absence. Kershaw's return can't come soon enough for the Dodgers, who are clinging to a one-game lead in the win column over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
The Dodgers don't play again until after Tuesday's trade deadline. With a combined pitching ERA of over six in July; one of their worst statistical months in nearly one hundred years, the Dodgers are expected to continue bolstering their pitching via trade within the next 48 hours.
The Dodgers traded for relief pitcher Joe Kelly and outfielder Kike Hernandez earlier this week, bringing back two former fan-favorite players who were instrumental on Los Angeles' 2020 championship team.
"I've been very candid saying that we always have room to improve on the pitching side," said Dodger manager Dave Roberts. "So we're gonna go with who we have until we have more."
The Dodgers open up a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.