Cincinnati Reds: Three takeaways from the walk-off loss to the Dodgers

The Cincinnati Reds fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in dramatic fashion last night. Here are three observations from the heartbreaking loss.

Well, that didn’t end the way we’d have liked it to, did it? The Cincinnati Reds fell 3-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night when Joe Pederson crushed a walk-off 2-run homer over the right field wall. What did we learn from the Reds heartbreaking loss?

Yasiel Puig got the party started. Matt Kemp gave the Reds the lead late. But, Joe Pederson had the last laugh. Puig sent his second home run of the season over the center field wall in the top of the first and Kemp broke the 2-2 tie in the ninth inning with an RBI single. However, after Raisel Iglesias walked the first batter he faced, Pederson made him pay and ended the game in dramatic fashion.

This game was made for Hollywood. You had the return of five former Dodgers, all of which drew the start against their old team. Puig, Kemp, Scott Schebler, Jose Peraza, and Kyle Farmer were all in the starting lineup versus their former team. Only Alex Wood, the fourth player in the December trade between Cincy and LA was not on the field last night.

Clayton Kershaw, aside from the 1-2 pitch to Puig in the first inning, was pretty dominant against the Cincinnati Reds. Kershaw went 7 innings, allowed only 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 6. It was Kershaw’s season debut after being sidelined injury to begin the 2019 season.

After winning four straight games, the Redlegs have now lost two in a row with six more games on their West Coast trip remaining before they return home to Great American Ball Park. So, what can Reds’ fans takeaway from their team’s 3-4 loss in Chavez Ravine? Let’s take a look.

2. Luis Castillo was good, but not great

Luis Castillo’s line was not what we’ve been accustomed to in the early part of the 2019 season, but La Piedra was good enough last night against one of the National League’s most dominant offenses.

Castillo went just 5 innings, but still struck out 7 batters. He allowed 2 runs, but most alarming was the 5 walks that Castillo issued to the Dodgers. Castillo walked 5 batters just one time (May 19th versus the Chicago Cubs) last season. Hopefully this is a blip on the radar screen.

The 7 strikeouts are nothing to sneeze at. The Los Angeles Dodgers possess one of the top offenses in the league and on several occasions Castillo’s changeup made them look silly. But make no mistake, last night was a grind for Castillo.

After a ground rule double in the bottom of the 1st inning by Cody Bellinger put the Dodgers on the board, Castillo reared back and struck out the next two batters. AJ Pollock and Max Muncy both went down swinging.

Castillo wiggled out of again the 3rd inning. After walking Justin Turner and pulverizing Bellinger in the knee with a 96-MPH fastball to put runners on 1st and 2nd, Castillo dialed up some magic and sent down Pollock and Muncy one more time.

After 2 singles and a force out in the bottom of the 5th put runners on 1st and 2nd with just 1 out, Castillo walked Alex Verdugo to load the bases. The dreaded walk to bring in a run followed when Castillo gave Pollock a free pass on 5 pitches. However, he limited the damage to just one run with a strikeout and a lineout to end the threat.

Luis Castillo’s performance on Monday night was far from his best outing, but he limited the damage and escaped disaster on multiple occasions. For the game, the Dodgers were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base.

3. What has happened to the Reds’ bullpen

Last year, the Cincinnati Reds bullpen was the strength of the team and the starting pitching was the Achilles heel. So far this season, the roles are reversed. The Reds’ starting pitching, for the most part, has been their biggest strength and the bullpen has struggled.

Before I get to Raisel Iglesias, can I take a moment and give props to Robert Stephenson? Who would’ve thought that 15 games into the season, Bob Steve would be the best arm in the Reds’ bullpen? The last two players to make the Reds’ roster (Stephenson and Wandy Peralta) have been the best relief pitchers on this year’s team.

I’m sure you thought, as I did, that we’d have no concerns involving Jared Hughes, David Hernandez, and Raisel Iglesias, right? Now, I get nervous when I see any one of those three players emerge from the bullpen.

Last night, Michael Lorenzen did his job against the one batter he faced and Wandy Peralta took care of Joc Pederson and then struck out Corey Seager. For the record, when the Reds need an out against a left-handed hitter, I want Peralta, not Zach Duke, on the mound.

Stephenson came in during the bottom of the 7th and mowed the Dodgers’ hitters down in order. He then followed that up with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 8th, striking out Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes in the process. Kudos to Derek Johnson for his work with Stephenson thus far this season.

The 9th inning was a different story, however, when Raisel Iglesias walked the first batter on five pitches and then served up a meatball for Pederson to crush over the right field wall. The Dodgers won the game 4-3 in walk-off fashion, leaving the Reds scratching their heads.

The Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen had better get it together quickly. It’s very disappointing to see both the offense and bullpen, thought to be the strengths of this year’s team, letting the starting pitching down. They’ll both get a chance to make amends tonight when the Reds get another crack at the Dodgers in LA.