The Reds get a quick shot at turning the page, and the Dodgers are waiting at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati comes into the four-game set fresh off a 4-3 win over the Brewers on Sunday, a result that felt more like a survival note than a statement. The Reds had already been buried by Milwaukee, 13-9 and 20-0, and before that came the 14-1 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles last week. That sweep in Dodger Stadium was rough, and now the Reds get a chance to answer back at home.
Monday’s opener features Nick Lodolo against Tarik Skubal. Lodolo is 3-4 with a 5.12 ERA, while Skubal enters at 9-7 with a 2.84 ERA.
The two already matched up on September 8 in Los Angeles, when Skubal came out on top. He also logged his longest outing in a Dodgers uniform, throwing 7.1 innings in the win.
Lodolo lasted 4.2 innings and allowed three runs. It’s been a tough year for the Cincinnati left-hander, but he gets another crack at one of the game’s best.
Game 2, which falls on Roberto Clemente Day, brings another rematch. Rhett Lowder will start for the Reds, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto going for the Dodgers.
Lowder is 6-10 with a 5.81 ERA, and Yamamoto is 13-8 with a 2.62 ERA. The last time these teams met, Yamamoto pitched like the World Series MVP he was last season.
Lowder, meanwhile, was knocked out after 3.1 innings in the 14-1 loss, having allowed seven runs.
The Dodgers have not announced a starter for game 3, but the Reds will go with Andrew Abbott. Abbott is 6-11 with a 4.84 ERA and will make his 31st start of the season. His last outing was the 20-0 loss to the Brewers, when he exited after two innings and was charged with nine hits and seven earned runs.
For the series finale, Cincinnati will send Brady Singer to the mound. Singer is 6-14 with a 5.38 ERA, and the Dodgers still have not named their starter. Singer has shown some flashes since the All-Star break, but his most recent start was another rough one: eight runs allowed in four innings in a loss to Milwaukee.
The Reds have been through plenty already, and this stretch does not get easier. But the Dodgers are here now, and Cincinnati gets four more chances to make things a little less miserable.
In Other News...
Terry Francona Just Raised The Stakes For The Reds Front Office
With one year left on his contract, Terry Francona is already sounding like a manager who expects to be part of the Reds next step, not just this seasons cleanup. He has said he wants to help Cincinnati recover from a disappointing year, and he has publicly backed the front offices ability to improve the roster after a season that has left the club stuck at the bottom of the National League Central.
Nick Kralls view of the organizations future only adds to the significance of Franconas stance, since the expectation is that the front office and coaching staff will stay largely intact for 2027. For a team that has struggled to generate offense and came out of the trade deadline with limited changes, the message is clear: the current group is being asked to prove it can turn things around, and Franconas confidence only raises the pressure to get it right. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Prospect Is Forcing His Way Into The Conversation
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Terry Francona also made it clear he sees the front office as part of the larger push to keep improving, which only adds to the sense that the Reds are still sorting out where their next wave of help will come from. For now, Ibarra is doing the kind of work that gets noticed, especially when a club is looking for answers beyond the obvious names. The immediate focus remains on Los Angeles, but the longer view in Cincinnati keeps circling back to which prospects can turn a hot week into a real conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Is Getting National Buzz The Reds Can't Ignore
Since Aug. 22, Elly De La Cruz has looked every bit like the kind of player who can carry attention beyond Cincinnati, hitting .419/.468/.767 with 16 extra-base hits, including seven homers. The surge has come at a time when the Reds have little left to play for in the standings, and it has only sharpened the sense that one of the sports most electric talents is doing his best work while the team around him has already been officially knocked out of the postseason race.
National observers are starting to take notice, too. On Monday, MLB Networks Mark DeRosa placed De La Cruz fifth on his list of must-watch position players in the majors, and then De La Cruz backed up the buzz with another statement swing that produced the longest Reds home run since July 9, 2024. For a club sitting at 70-80 and in last place in the National League Central, the broader appeal is obvious, even if the bigger question around De La Cruzs rise is still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]