Although the Cincinnati Reds won eight of their last 11 games to clinch the final playoff berth, they do not feel like the typical “look out, they're hot” type of team. This resilient, Terry Francona-managed group is certainly capable of causing chaos, but it will not vanquish the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers unless its impressive starting pitching rotation holds steady versus a loaded lineup. That did not happen on Tuesday night.
Those who picked David to slay Goliath in this NL Wild Card matchup probably expected Hunter Greene to land the first blow. He did not bring nearly enough ammo with him to Dodger Stadium, however, and proceeded to suffer a beatdown from one of baseball's most intimidating and enduring giants. The Reds ace allowed five runs on six hits while walking two batters in just three innings in Game 1.
Greene surrendered a lead-off home run to probable NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, igniting the home crowd right away, and later gave up back-to-back dingers to Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman in the third. Cincinnati has yet to recover and currently trails 10-2 at time of print. Outlasting LA and advancing to the divisional round is going to be even more daunting than initially anticipated.
Reds will have to fight back yet again
For the Reds, this is not just an 0-1 hole in a series versus the mighty Dodgers. Their best pitcher is now off the board as well. Francona trusted a well-rested Hunter Greene to give the team a chance on the road. Following a brilliant 2025 regular season that included a 2.76 ERA, 132 strikeouts and 0.938 WHIP in 107 2/3 innings pitched, Greene posted a clunker.
The young right-hander is hardly the first superb hurler to stumble against LA, but that fact will probably not make the disappointment sting any less. He will try to pick himself up and cheer on his teammates the rest of the series. The good news is that the Reds have mastered the art of surviving in 2025.
Their season seemed on the verge of death multiple times during the second half of the campaign, but they pitched well, gutted out wins and capitalized on the opportunities the New York Mets gifted them. And here they are. Cincinnati is in the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time in 12 years. It has a two-time World Series-winning manager in the dugout and plenty of magic on its side, so fans may not want to pencil in the Dodgers for the NL Division Series just yet.
But the Reds will need to remember their identity, and it is tied directly to the mound. They will look to rebound when Zack Littell battles Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday.
