The Los Angeles Dodgers just stomped the Cincinnati Reds 8-2, officially clinching the NL West crown on the road. Seriously, this wasn’t even a contest. The Dodgers rolled into Cincinnati and took care of business in the most dominant way possible, practically jogging across the finish line.
Singer’s Nightmare on the Mound
Brady Singer, the Reds’ starter, had a truly brutal night. He could not buy a strikeout to save his life, throwing less than half his pitches inside the strike zone. That led to a ton of walks, but honestly, those were the least of his worries. Any time Singer actually got a pitch in the zone, the Dodgers absolutely annihilated it.
Before Elly De La Cruz even stepped up to the plate for the first time, the Reds were already down by two. Freddie Freeman walked, setting the stage for Kyle Tucker, who crushed a low sinker right in the middle for a two-run bomb in the top of the first. King Tuck! The Dodgers even stranded a couple more runners that inning, a missed opportunity that still felt like a warning shot.
Tucker was back at it in the very next frame. After a Freddie Freeman RBI sac fly, Tucker ripped an RBI double to make it a 4-0 game. You’d think the Reds would pull Singer, but nope, they left him out there. Even in a scoreless third, the signs of trouble were screaming loud. Multiple Dodgers reached base, and a Josue De Paula lineout over 100 MPH was the only reason Singer got that zero on the board. You just knew the dam was about to break.
Offense Explodes, Pitching Shuts it Down
And break it did in the fourth. The first six Dodgers to come to the plate all reached safely. Tucker grabbed his third hit in as many at-bats, showing off that hot bat. Josue De Paula then smacked an RBI single that pushed the score to a ridiculous 7-0. That was finally it for Singer, who was nearing 100 pitches and clearly running on fumes trying to contain that Dodgers offense.
With a massive lead in hand, Justin Wrobleski took over on the mound, and man, he was dealing. Knowing it was going to be a shorter outing, he was just letting it fly, sitting at 96 mph+ on his fastball and sinker, a tick and a half over his season average. Wrobleski faced nine hitters and retired every single one of them, dominating for three perfect innings before handing it off to the bullpen. Blake Treinen gave up the Reds’ only run, a Sal Stewart long ball, but Landon Knack came in and shut the door with four scoreless frames. That’s how you close out a clinch, folks.
The Dodgers didn’t just win the division, they absolutely mauled the Reds to do it. With the NL West locked up, they’re heading home with all the momentum in the world. You just gotta wonder how far this squad can go with this kind of dominant play.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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