Another rough outing for Noah Syndergaard as Dodgers lose, 8-6
Elly De La Cruz hit a 458-foot drive for his first major league homer and Will Benson hit a game-ending home run in the ninth that lifted the Cincinnati Reds over Los Angeles 8-6 on Wednesday night and extended the Dodgers’ losing streak to a season-high four.
De La Cruz hit an 0-1 fastball from Noah Syndergaard in the first inning that left the bat at 114.8 mph and landed into the last rows of the right-field stands at Great American Ball Park. The two-run homer tied the score 2-2.
A day after making his big league debut, the 21-year-old switch-hitter had the second-hardest-hit home run by a player 21 or younger since Statcast started tracking in 2015, behind only Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 115.9 mph on Aug. 21, 2020.
De La Cruz played shortstop a day after manning third, He tripled on a curveball in the third as part of a 2 for 4 night, a drive that went to the wall in right-center on four hops. He reached third in 10.83 seconds, the fastest time in the major leagues this season, according to Statcast. It was the second-fastest since the start of the 2020 season behind 10.75 seconds for Arizona’s Corbin Carroll last Oct. 3.
Cincinnati overcame a 6-2 deficit in a four-run third on Jonathan India’s sacrifice fly, Spencer Steer’s RBI single and Tyler Stephenson’s two-run homer.
TJ Hopkins reached on an infield single in the ninth and Benson homered off Evan Phillips (1-2), giving Cincinnati its second straight walk-off win and a three-game winning streak. Benson became the third Cincinnati player with a walk-off for his first home run after Jay Bruce on May 31, 2008, and Drew Stubbs on Aug. 20, 2009.
It’s 6-6 after three
Third inning
Dodgers: Freddie Freeman singled to center and took second on an error. Will Smith homered to right-center. J.D. Martinez doubled to left. Max Muncy walked. Chris Taylor popped to first. Miguel Vargas doubled to left, scoring Martinez, Muncy to third. Jonny DeLuca lined to third. Miguel Rojas grounded to short.
Reds: Matt McLain tripled to left. Jonathan India flied to center, McLain scoring. Elly De La Cruz tripled to center. Spencer Steer singled, De La Cruz scoring. Tyler Stephenson homered to right. Kevin Newman flied to center. Stuart Fairchild struck out looking.
Score after three: Dodgers 6, Reds 6
Dodgers take lead in second inning
Second inning
Dodgers: Miguel Vargas homered to center. Jonny DeLuca lined to right. Miguel Rojas struck out swinging. Mookie Betts flied to right.
Reds: Kevin Newman singled to center. Newman stole second. Stuart Fairchild struck out swinging. T.J. Hopkins grounded to short, Newman to third. Will Benson struck out swinging.
Score after two: Dodgers 3, Reds 2
It’s 2-2 after one inning
First inning
Dodgers: Mookie Betts homered to left-center. Freddie Freeman flied to right. Will Smith doubled to center. J.D. Martinez lined to left. Max Muncy singled to left-center, Smith scoring. Chris Taylor struck out swinging.
Reds: Will Benson popped to third. Matt McLain singled to center. McLain stole second. Jonathan India grounded to third. Elly De La Cruz homered to DEEP right. He almost hit it out of the entire ballpark. Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch. Don’t think it was intentional, but Reds manager David Bell did. Steer stole second. Ttyler Stephenson grounded to the pitcher.
Score after one: Dodgers 2, Reds 2
Dodgers outfielder Jonny DeLuca ready for his MLB debut
A big league promotion that caught Jonny DeLuca by surprise last weekend came as no shock to the Dodgers outfielder’s former coach at Agoura (Hills) High School.
Anthony Chevrier saw this coming nearly a decade ago, when DeLuca was a 5-foot-9, 165-pound wisp of a freshman who started in right field and hit ninth for a 2014 varsity team that sent 10 players to Division I programs.
“I remember speaking to Jonny and his father when he was a freshman and I said, ‘Man, you’re gonna play in the big leagues one day,’ ” Chevrier said. “His dad kind of giggled, but you could just tell. The physical tools, the intangibles, the decision-making skills were there. He was the complete package.”
Nine years later, DeLuca, now 6-feet tall and 205 pounds, with sandy blond locks, a mustache and a hoop earring — more on that later — reached Dodger Stadium on Sunday, and he’s expected to make his major league debut against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson in Great American Ball Park Wednesday night.
But there was no guarantee DeLuca would arrive at this destination, and very little expectation among those who followed his career through college that he could.
“I can’t tell you how many scouts looked at him and said, ‘Oh, he’s not very projectable, he’s only 5-11, he’s reached his limit,’ ” Chevrier said. “I thought he was going to be special. He packs a big punch offensively, defensively and on the basepaths.”
Tuesday recap: Dodgers suffer meltdown as bullpen blows lead in loss to Reds
CINCINNATI — The Dodgers thought they were past this. That their once-struggling bullpen was finally becoming a strength.
A glaring weakness at the beginning of the season, the team’s relief corps had appeared to turn a corner during May.
Yes, Evan Phillips rediscovered his dominant form. But just as importantly, Caleb Ferguson, Brusdar Graterol and Yency Almonte emerged as reliable high-leverage options, giving the Dodgers a defined late-inning hierarchy to trust when trying to close games.
In recent weeks, however, performances have dipped. Inconsistency has returned.
Dodgers TV schedule for remainder of regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
