Dodgers Secure Sweep Over Reds, Highlighting Cincinnati’s Continued Struggles

LOS ANGELES — At least the Cincinnati Reds won’t need to spend extra time and money returning here for a playoff exit, as they experienced last year.

They essentially sealed that fate in May and June, slipping out of first place and then out of contention by midseason, hampered by a wave of injuries and subpar performance.

The three‑game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers this week was merely a routine step toward October for the two‑time defending champions, and for the Reds it served only as a stark reminder of how far they remain from elite contention.

With All‑Star ace Chase Burns limited to a short inning stint in the opener and Rookie of the Year candidate Sal Stewart largely muted over the three games, the Reds’ competitiveness boiled down to Elly De La Cruz trading blows with the Dodgers while the rest of the lineup was overmatched.

Cincinnati held a lead in one game and kept two others close, but in the finale they fielded six rookies—three of whom were making their MLB debuts—and were crushed 14‑1.

Outscored 22‑6 in the series, Elly De La Cruz produced most of Cincinnati’s offense, homering in each game and driving in four runs, including a mammoth two‑run shot off two‑time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in the 3‑2 loss in the middle game.

He went 5‑for‑11 with a double and delivered what could be considered one of the league’s top defensive plays of the year, firing a 102‑mph relay from roughly 200 feet to nail Teoscar Hernandez at the plate and thwart an inside‑the‑park home run, coming just a half‑inning after his homer off Skubal.

“He’s been doing that for five years,” teammate Matt McLain said. “He keeps getting better and better.”

Whether the Reds can replicate that optimism next year will largely hinge on how much work the front office puts in during an offseason clouded by labor unrest and an all‑but‑certain lockout set for December 1.

At present, the only certainty is that Cincinnati is far from championship calibre in its current build, even though Burns, Stewart and De La Cruz have each posted strong individual seasons.

If the ineffective outing by rookie Rhett Lowder and the bullpen in the finale weren’t already enough to seal the sweep, the Dodgers turned to their $325 million ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who delivered seven innings of three‑hit baseball for his 13th win of the year.

Just like that, Cincinnati dropped to eight games under .500 and nine games out of a playoff spot with 16 games remaining.

The only talking point left for Cincinnati was next year and Elly De La Cruz, who has homered in five straight games as the team enjoys a day off before traveling to Milwaukee to face the league‑best Brewers.

That leaves them just two shy of Joey Votto’s 2021 franchise record.

It also marks the longest such streak in franchise history for a switch‑hitter, and De La Cruz has set a new career high with 26 home runs—a franchise record for a switch‑hitter.

As for hope and future competitiveness, the focus shifts to next year—essentially, “wait ’til next year.”

Asked about the outlook, De La Cruz glanced around the clubhouse and said, “I don’t know what moves they’ll make for next year, but any moves they do make, I think we’ve got a chance.”

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