Shohei Ohtani was back on the bench again, but the Dodgers kept rolling anyway.
Los Angeles beat the Reds 3-2 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, stretching its winning streak to six games and matching the club’s season high. The Dodgers also put themselves in position to sweep Cincinnati for the second straight year, while extending their home winning streak against the Reds to eight games in a run that dates back to May 17, 2024.
The biggest swing in the game came from Elly De La Cruz, who stayed locked in with his fourth straight game leaving the yard. His 444-foot homer was the longest at Dodger Stadium this season and accounted for both Reds runs. Los Angeles still held the edge, though, and finished the night with another clean result despite Ohtani missing the lineup for a fifth time in the last six games.
Teoscar Hernández kept his own heater going and gave the Dodgers a spark in the middle innings. He pushed his hitting streak to nine games with a two-out triple in the third, then was thrown out trying to turn it into an inside-the-park home run after Dane Myers made a diving attempt in center field and the Reds completed the relay. Hernández made sure the chance didn’t go to waste for long, driving in the go-ahead run with a two-out RBI single in the fifth.
On the mound, Tarik Skubal did his part to keep Cincinnati in range. He worked 7.1 innings, allowed two runs, and struck out five.
He was sharp early, with the only damage coming on De La Cruz’s two-run blast. The outing was Skubal’s first time getting into the eighth inning with the Dodgers and only his second such start this season, and it dropped his ERA to 2.93 over seven starts with the club.
Ohtani’s absence, meanwhile, was part of a deliberate plan rather than a setback, according to manager Dave Roberts. Roberts said the Dodgers are taking a measured approach as they ease Ohtani back after recent time missed with left knee and right bicep injuries.
He also said the team is likely to give Ohtani more rest days over the final weeks of the regular season. Freddie Freeman handled designated hitter duties Tuesday night for the first time since 2020.
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