The Cincinnati Reds lost Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5. While Shohei Ohtani led the Dodgers' offense in a dominant performance, the team's weaknesses remain. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts talked about his bullpen while preparing for the postseason. He tried many different things, including Roki Sasaki as a reliever.
While the Dodgers won Game 1, Reds outfielder Gavin Lux did not leave the game discouraged. The former Dodger spent a few seasons playing under Roberts and entered the series confident in his team. Cincinnati made it into the postseason in dramatic fashion, preventing the New York Mets from secure a spot in the postseason. Now, they are trying to slay a giant in Los Angeles.
Lux talked about the matchup ahead of Wednesday's Game 2 with Reds reporter Charlie Goldsmith. According to him, Cincinnati has a chance to take advantage of the Dodgers' bullpen if they can get there early enough.
“That’s a bullpen that’s been struggling a little bit,” Lux said. “We came back and made it interesting and got into the bullpen. Looking at their starting pitching, it’s tough. The sooner you can get into the bullpen, the better. Not taking to take but having a game plan and being stubborn with that. The sooner we can get into the bullpen, the better.”
Los Angeles won by enough that Roberts did not put in his top relievers. Blake Treinen pitching in the ninth inning to secure the victory, saving the arms of Sasaki and Tanner Scott. Roberts gave his rookie pitcher an opportunity to come in as a reliever before the regular season ended to see if he could play that role. One Major League Baseball Insider believes Sasaki should be the closer.
Lux and the Reds need a win on Wednesday to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday. If the outfielder is right, Cincinnati needs to keep the game close until the later innings to have a chance.
