Elly De La Cruz and Dane Myers homered while Sal Stewart added three hits to lead the Cincinnati Reds past the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 on Wednesday night.
The loss denied the Dodgers (92-60) a chance to clinch their 13th National League West title in the past 14 seasons with a victory. Los Angeles entered the game with a magic number of one for clinching the division and needed the Padres to lose to the Rockies later Wednesday night, but San Diego won 9-3.
Coming into play Wednesday, the Dodgers had won all five meetings with the Reds (71-81) this season, outscoring them 31-7. The Dodgers had won eight straight over the Reds in the regular season and 10 straight overall, including last year’s two-game sweep in the NL wild-card round.
Dodgers starter Blake Snell, in his seventh start since arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in May, was removed after one inning due to left groin tightness.
Snell struck out Dane Myers to open the bottom of the first and Elly De La Cruz lined out to center before Sal Stewart singled to left. It was the first hit Snell allowed in Cincinnati since the left-hander threw a no-hitter there Aug. 2, 2024, in a 3-0 win for the San Francisco Giants.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the third against Cincinnati lefty starter Andrew Abbott when Will Smith doubled home Mookie Betts.
The Reds took their first lead of the four-game series in the bottom of the inning when De La Cruz lined a two-run homer to right off right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen (1-2). It was De La Cruz’s 28th homer of the season.
Cincinnati added another run in the fifth for a 3-1 lead when Dane Myers homered to right off Bobby Miller. The Dodgers appeared ready to rally in the sixth when they loaded the bases with one out. Tommy Edman forced home a run with a groundout, but Betts lined out to a leaping De La Cruz at short to end the rally.
In the bottom of the sixth, Brito’s third hit of the night, a bloop to right off Alex Vesia, scored Stewart to re-establish the two-run lead at 4-2.
Tejay Antone (3-2) picked up the win, throwing one-third of an inning on just three pitches.
Stewart, who went 3-for-4, and TJ Freidl each singled in an insurance run in the seventh to make it 6-2.
–Field Level Media
