Recap: Dodgers Edge Reds By Taking The Wood To John Lamb
Marlon Byrd singled on the first pitch he saw in the top of the fourth, but the inning quickly came to an end as Wood snagged Pena’s soft liner and immediately threw over to first base for an inning-ending double play.
The Dodgers finally managed to break through in the fifth, though not before suffering some bad luck. Pederson drew a leadoff walk, then was doubled off first base on Wood’s sacrifice-bunt attempt that Pena made a diving catch on in foul territory.
Rollins knocked a two-out single to center field and it marked the start of Lamb’s troubles. Hernandez followed with a base hit and Turner improved to 2-for-2 on the night with an RBI single that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Gonzalez then turned on a pitch for a three-run home run that extended the lead to 5-1 before Lamb got out of the inning. Just as soon as the Dodgers were sitting comfortably, the Reds jumped back into the game behind a Votto two-run home run in the sixth. Wood recovered by retiring the next three batters faced.
Lamb bounced back from a rough fifth inning by retiring the Dodgers in order in the sixth, with his 99th pitch of the game called strike three on Pederson to end the inning. Wood retired Pena in the seventh, then turned the ball over to Jim Johnson.
The struggling Dodgers reliever set down the two batters he faced to keep the Dodgers’ lead at 5-3. Carl Crawford pinch-hit for Johnson in the bottom of the seventh and hit a leadoff single against Burke Badenhop. Crawford was soon after caught stealing and a Hernandez two-out base hit was followed by a groundout to end the inning.
Jumbo Diaz took over for the Reds in the bottom of the eighth and gave up a pinch-hit double to Andre Ethier with one out. Ethier advanced to third base on a wild pitch, which was followed by Diaz striking out Puig in an at-bat that featured a bevy of 99 MPH fastballs.
Diaz walked Grandal and Pederson to load the bases, but prevented the Dodgers from extending their lead by retiring pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo. Kenley Jansen converted on the save opportunity as the Dodgers won, 5-3.
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