The Reds got a little life late Monday night, but not enough to change the outcome. Elly De La Cruz’s ninth-inning homer kept Cincinnati off the shutout board in a 4-1 loss to the Dodgers, and now the club turns right back around for game two of the four-game set in Los Angeles.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s matchup puts Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rhett Lowder on the mound, and the numbers point to a steep uphill climb for Cincinnati. Yamamoto has been dominant all season, working to a 2.62 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP, 39 walks and 171 strikeouts over 172.0 innings. Lowder, meanwhile, comes in at 5.81 with a 1.53 WHIP, 49 walks and 94 strikeouts in 119.1 innings.
Lowder’s recent stretch has been rough. After a strong run of starts from late July through late August, he’s been hit hard over the last two weeks, allowing 13 earned runs while walking as many hitters as he has struck out in just 7.1 innings against the Brewers and Dodgers. His last outing against Los Angeles lasted only 3.1 innings, and he gave up seven hits and two walks.
The matchup is even more uncomfortable when you dig into the splits. Right-handed hitters have done damage through batting average against Lowder, while left-handed hitters have combined average with more walks and more power. The road has also been a problem: Lowder has allowed a .877 OPS and posted a 7.44 ERA away from home, compared with a .712 OPS against and a 4.06 ERA at home.
Yamamoto’s profile looks far cleaner. Right-handed hitters have fared a bit better against him than lefties, but neither side has done much at all.
Both groups are hitting under .200, both have weak on-base numbers, and the power hasn’t been there either. He also just saw Cincinnati recently, holding the Reds to one run while striking out 10 in the Dodgers’ 14-1 win in Los Angeles.
The Cincinnati lineup will again lean on De La Cruz, with Carlos Jorge leading off in center field and De Paula at designated hitter. The rest of the Reds’ order includes Sal Stewart, JJ Bleday, Eugenio Suarez, Hector Rodriguez, Matt McLain, Juan Brito and Will Banfield. Los Angeles will counter with Josue De Paula at DH, Freddie Freeman at first, Mookie Betts at shortstop, Kyle Tucker in right, Teoscar Hernandez in left, Max Muncy at third, Tommy Edman in center, Hunter Feduccia behind the plate and Alex Freeland at second.
There’s also a bit of off-field news around the Reds, with Jose Trevino’s nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award drawing attention to his work “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
And while the postseason picture is long gone in Cincinnati, the standings still tell the story of where things sit: Milwaukee at 93-57, Chicago at 84-67, Pittsburgh at 75-75, St. Louis at 75-76 and the Reds at 70-80, 23.0 games back. The organization is also sending eight prospects to the AFL this fall and winter, including breakout player of the year Carter Graham, though none of the upper-echelon minor league names will be in that group.
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
Ruben Ibarras recent surge has given the Reds another interesting name to track at a time when the organization is trying to keep building momentum. The prospect was named Southern League Player of the Week after a strong offensive stretch, adding another productive note to a system that has been trying to produce more impact bats for the big league club. With Cincinnati set to open a four-game series against the Dodgers and Nick Lodolo on the mound, there is still plenty of attention on the current roster, but performances like Ibarras tend to travel quickly through an organization.
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 🡒]