Dodgers Bring Playoff Pressure to Cincinnati; Reds Have Answers
A 92-59 Dodgers squad rolls into Great American Ball Park tonight against a Reds team sitting at 70-81 — but Cincinnati has the kind of individual firepower that can make any game uncomfortable. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the pitching matchup alone is worth tuning in for.
Blake Snell is expected to start for Los Angeles, squaring off against Andrew Abbott, who is set to take the mound for Cincinnati. On paper, this is a mismatch in the standings — 22 games separate these two clubs — but standings don't throw pitches or hit baseballs, and both rotations are sending out arms capable of keeping this game close deep into the evening.
The offensive storylines are genuinely compelling on both sides. For the Dodgers, Max Muncy is the man to watch: 28 home runs and 71 RBI on the season make him the clear power threat in this lineup, while Freddie Freeman's .296 average gives Los Angeles a contact anchor at the top of the order. The Reds counter with Sal Stewart, who has been one of the more quietly productive hitters in the National League — 31 home runs and 107 RBI is a legitimate power-and-production season by any measure. Elly De La Cruz, hitting .286, adds a dynamic element that can change a game's complexion in a single at-bat. In my opinion, Stewart's RBI total is the number that should give Dodgers pitching the most pause tonight; that kind of run-production doesn't happen without consistently coming through in big spots.
As for a model read on tonight's outcome — there isn't one available for this game, and I'm not going to manufacture a lean where none exists. What I will say is this: the Dodgers are the better team by record, but Great American Ball Park is not a neutral site, and a Reds lineup with Stewart and De La Cruz at its core is capable of making life difficult for any starter on any given night. Watch the early innings — if Abbott can keep Muncy and Freeman off the bases, Cincinnati has a real shot at keeping this one interesting well into the late game.