Cincinnati Reds Dominated By Zack Greinke Again, Fall to Dodgers, 1-0

W: Zack Greinke (14-3)

L: Anthony DeSclafani (7-10)

SV: Jim Johnson (10)

Cincinnati Reds pitchers induced a whopping five ground ball double plays against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series finale on Thursday. A run scored on one of those twin killings and it was all the Dodgers needed to sweep the Reds, who had another anemic offensive performance.

This was the second time in under two weeks that the Reds were thoroughly owned by top Cy Young contender Zack Greinke, scraping together four hits and two walks in seven innings against him.

The Reds had zero extra-base hits and only twice managed to get runners into scoring position in the game. The only Reds hitters to reach base more than once were Joey Votto (two walks) and Tucker Barnhart (two singles). Greinke also stuck out nine hitters, punching out Skip Schumaker (who again batted leadoff, for some reason), Eugenio Suarez and Anthony DeSclafani two times each.

More from Blog Red Machine

• Reds: Luis Castillo shows why he should start potential Wild Card Game
• Reds roster demands Jesse Winker starts in center field tonight
• Reds vs. Dodgers: Pitching preview, prediction, and more
• Reds: The insurmountable task of overcoming Jesse Winker’s absence
• Reds: Underdog hurler James Marinan flashing brilliance at High-A Dayton

DeSclafani pitched well in his own right, much like the last time these two pitchers squared off, but again got no run support. The rookie allowed one run on six hits and one walk, while striking out six and forcing four of the five Dodgers’ double plays on the day. The run against him came on his first double play of the day, as it scored Justin Turner from third.

J.J. Hoover and Aroldis Chapman also appeared on the mound for the Reds, each getting into trouble, but working their way through it to keep the score at 1-0.

The Reds have now lost 12 of their last 13 games and have a 6-19 record in the month of August.

Other Notes:

• Besides Barnhart, the only Reds to pick up a hit were Schumaker and Jason Bourgeois. The lone non-Votto walk was issued to Jay Bruce, who then stole second base and was ultimately left stranded at third.
• Of the five ground-ball double plays the Dodgers hit into, three of them came from ex-Reds farmhand Yasmani Grandal. He struck out in his other at-bat.
• The Reds’ 10-game stretch at Great American Ball Park comes to an end with a 1-9 record.

Up Next: The Reds travel to Milwaukee for a three-game weekend series with the Brewers. The red-hot Raisel Iglesias will toe the rubber for game one on Friday, opposed by fellow impressive rookie Taylor Jungmann for the Brewers. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. EST.

Next: Would hiring Barry Larkin as manager be smart for the Reds?