Cincinnati Reds Eliminated by Dodgers in Crushing Wild Card Loss

The Cincinnati Reds walked into Dodger Stadium for Game 1 of the wild card series, hoping to flip the script and start an underdog run. Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers steamrolled them in a 10-5 rout that just seemed to echo years of frustration in Southern California.

Ace Hunter Greene was supposed to set the tone. The night unraveled fast, and now the Reds are staring down nearly impossible odds heading into Game 2.

Hunter Greene’s Rocky Start Sets the Tone

This was supposed to be Hunter Greene’s moment—a chance for Cincinnati’s hard-throwing ace to shine. But on the very first pitch to the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani sent it rocketing into the seats.

Greene gave up two more home runs and left after just three innings. The Reds looked shaken before the game even got going.

Dodgers’ Power Display

The Dodgers didn’t let up after Ohtani’s blast. Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman joined in, each launching big home runs that widened the gap.

By the sixth inning, Los Angeles had an 8-0 lead. Cincinnati’s offense just couldn’t get anything going.

Blake Snell Silences Reds’ Bats

While the Dodgers lineup piled on runs, Blake Snell quietly took apart the Reds’ hitters. He gave up just one hit in six innings—a late double from Matt McLain.

Cincinnati’s bats never found their rhythm and spent the whole game chasing.

Reds’ Road Woes in Los Angeles

Tuesday’s loss wasn’t a fluke. The Reds have now dropped seven of their last eight games at Dodger Stadium.

This place just hasn’t been kind to them, and it shows.

Steep Postseason Odds

History isn’t exactly rooting for Cincinnati. In the wild card round, Game 1 winners move on 18 out of 20 times, and 16 of those series end in sweeps.

That’s a tough stat to stare at as the Reds get ready to face Yoshinobu Yamamoto next.

Yamamoto’s Previous Dominance

Yamamoto already gave the Reds fits this year. In their only meeting, he struck out nine over seven innings, mixing pinpoint control with overpowering stuff.

With the Reds still reeling from Game 1, that’s not exactly comforting.

The Underdog Identity Under Threat

All season, the Reds built a gritty reputation—fans called them the “cockroaches” for how they survived adversity and scrapped out wins. But under the postseason spotlight, that image wobbled.

The Dodgers’ star-studded, big-budget roster just made Cincinnati’s fight look like flailing. Sometimes, raw talent wins out over resilience.

A Brief Postseason Spark

Cincinnati’s path to October was wild. A late surge, plus the Mets’ collapse, shoved the Reds into the playoffs for just the second time in more than a decade.

Fans popped champagne only days ago, soaking up the rare feeling of meaningful October baseball.

Facing Elimination

Now, the Reds are staring straight at postseason elimination. If they can’t shock the Dodgers in Game 2, that champagne celebration will just be another short-lived high point in a tough era for the franchise.

Keys to Survival

If Cincinnati wants to keep their season alive, a few things have to go right.

• Greene and the pitching staff really need to avoid giving up early runs.
• The offense has to find a way to get clutch hits off Yamamoto, who’s about as good as they come.
• The defense can’t afford any sloppy mistakes that could lead to big innings.
• Veteran players need to rally the team and get everyone believing they can pull this off.

Can the Reds actually flip the script? It’s hard to say. Their underdog story is hanging by a thread, just waiting for either a wild comeback or another tough loss at Dodger Stadium. Baseball’s weird like that—sometimes, the impossible happens. But honestly, Cincinnati will probably need the game of their lives to keep things going.

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Here is the source article for this story: Williams: Now you can count out the Cincinnati Reds