Reds at Dodgers
Chavez Ravine has not been kind to the Cincinnati Reds, who look to avoid a three-game sweep against the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Cincinnati suffered its eighth straight loss and 13th in 15 contests at Dodger Stadium on Saturday as it rallied from an early deficit to forge a tie, only to fall 5-4 on Corey Seager’s walk-off double.
Rookie Cody Bellinger crushed his team-leading 13th home run for the Dodgers, who own the second-best home record in the majors at 24-10. In addition to the power provided by the 21-year-old Bellinger, Los Angeles received a boost from 38-year-old leadoff hitter Chase Utley, who collected three hits and is batting .337 over his last 27 games. The Reds have lost back-to-back contests following a four-game winning streak but continue to impress at the top of the order, where Zack Cozart (.337) and Joey Votto (.303) are pushing for a spot on the National League All-Star team. Cozart has reached base safely in 32 straight contests, the longest stretch by any player in the majors since Freddie Freeman’s 46-game streak last season.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Tim Adleman (4-2, 4.42 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-6, 4.08)
Adleman turned in another strong performance Tuesday against St. Louis, allowing one run and striking out seven over seven innings of a 13-1 victory. The 29-year-old has gone 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA over his last three turns as he has been a pleasant surprise for the Reds' rotation. Adleman earned the victory in his only previous start against the Dodgers, pitching five scoreless innings in a 9-2 win on Aug. 19, 2016.
Ryu is coming off a loss to Washington on Monday, but he earned praise from his manager after allowing four runs and seven hits in season-high seven innings. “Hyun-Jin was good,” Dave Roberts told reporters. “He came out with a lot of conviction. Just to kind of see him come out with a purpose and focus was really encouraging." The 30-year-old Ryu is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA and has recorded 21 strikeouts and three walks in three career starts against Cincinnati.
WALK-OFFS
1. Los Angeles has gone 15-6 against NL Central opponents.
2. Reds LF Adam Duvall is expected to return to the starting lineup Sunday after being limited for the last two games due to illness.
3. The Dodgers optioned RHP Brandon Morrow to Triple-A Oklahoma City.