The Los Angeles Dodgers played their first night game of Cactus League play, but came up short with a 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After not losing in their first 6 games of Spring Training, the Dodgers have now lost two straight.
James Paxton made his first start with the Dodgers and had a solid game overall. Paxton started his night with a strikeout, but that was followed by two singles and a sacrifice fly to put the Reds up 1-0.
In his next and final inning, Paxton struck out the side. He finished his day with two innings pitched, giving up two hits, one run and striking out four with no walks.
Paxton is a safe bet to be in the Dodgers’ rotation to start the year, but it’s unclear when his next outing will come.
The Reds added to their lead in the fourth inning after Landon Knack came into the game. The right-hander walked the first batter he faced, which was followed by a triple. A ground out then allowed the third run to score.
The Dodgers were being no-hit into the sixth inning, but that was broken when Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer after a walk from Kevin Padlo. They ended up tying the game in the seventh when Teoscar Hernández doubled, and that was later followed by an RBI single from Gavin Lux.
That tie was short-lived though as the Reds came back in the bottom half of the inning to re-take the lead on a two-run double following a walk and a single against Stephen Gonsalves.
The Dodgers moved closer to re-tying the game in the eighth when Trey Sweeney homered, but their comeback attempt ultimatley fell short.
What’s next for the Dodgers
The Dodgers are back at Camelback Ranch on Friday as they face the Cleveland Guardians with Tyler Glasnow scheduled to make his second start of Cactus League play against Carlos Carrasco.
For the second straight day, the Dodgers are scheduled to play a night game at 5:05 p.m. PT.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
