Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers Preview

Fresh off their 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres, the Cincinnati Reds will travel up I-5 to Dodger Stadium to take on the Dodgers for a four game series. The first place Dodgers (63-50) have continued their NL West dominance this year, and will be playing against the Reds for the first time.

Game 1
8/13 10:10 p.m. EST
CIN: Keyvius Sampson (1-1, 3.00)
LAD: Mat Latos (4-8, 4.67)

Game 1 of this series will have some excitement to it when Mat Latos takes the mound against the Reds for the first time since he was traded to the Miami Marlins last December. Following his exit, Latos was very vocal about his displeasure with the Reds, claiming the clubhouse was a “circus” and that the Reds rushed him back from his knee surgery. Latos had a quality start in his debut with the Dodgers, earning a no decision after pitching six innings and only giving up one run, but struggled in his last outing only going four innings and allowing six runs, giving him a 6.30 ERA in his time with the Dodgers. Several Reds have had success against Latos in the past, with Marlon Byrd going 3-for-9 and Skip Schumaker going 5-for-14, while Joey Votto has gone 1-for-9 against Latos. Sampson is coming off a great last start against the Diamondbacks, where he went six innings and only gave up one run off of four hits, and will be making his first start against the Dodgers.

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Game 2
8/14 10:10 p.m. EST
CIN: Anthony DeSclafani (7-7, 3.75)
LAD: Alex Wood (7-7, 3.72)

Wood will make his third start with the Dodgers on Friday. He has earned one loss and one no decision in his two starts, earning a 5.56 ERA in Los Angeles. The only Red to have a hit off Wood is Marlon Byrd, who has four hits in 12 at-bats and 2 RBIs. The rest of the Reds are hit-less against Wood in seven at-bats. Dodger batters have historically hit well off DeSclafani, and have a team batting average .308, with eight hits and 26 at-bats.

Game 3
8/15 9:10 p.m. EST
CIN: David Holmberg (1-1, 3.06)
LAD: Brett Anderson (6-7, 3.43)

Anderson is coming off a rough last outing against the Washington Nationals, where he went five innings and gave up seven runs. The only Reds to have experience against Anderson are Byrd and Brayan Pena, with Byrd going 2-for-12 and Pena going 2-for-7. Holmberg has pitched well in his three starts with the Reds, going a 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA, and will make his first start against the Dodgers.

Game 4
8/16 4:10 p.m. EST
CIN: Michael Lorenzen (3-8, 5.46)
LAD: TBD

Lorenzen will finish out the series against for the Reds and is coming off the worst start of his career, where he only went 1 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs off of seven hits. The rookie starter has had a difficult year with the Reds. He hasn’t earned a win since 6/21 and has a 12.57 ERA in the last month. Lorenzen will look to bounce back in his first start against the Dodgers, while LA has yet to announce a starter, but will likely send Zack Greinke to the mound.

Next: Iglesias fans eight in Reds win over Padres