REDS POSTCAST: The Cincinnati Reds FALL In Game 1 vs Los Angeles Dodgers; Tomorrow Means EVERYTHING

REDS POSTCAST: The Cincinnati Reds FALL In Game 1 vs Los Angeles Dodgers; Tomorrow Means EVERYTHING

[Music] This is the Reds post cast, your instant game reaction for the Cincinnati Reds, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. [Music] Good evening, Reds fans, and welcome to another edition of the Reds post brought by Locked on Reds and the Locked On Network, your team every day. I’m Tim Daniel. I am a lifelong Reds fan and I’ve been podcasting about this team for 5 years at publications such as Late Night Reds and the Riverfront. And I want to thank you all for spending some time with me this late night early morning as we unfortunately discussed the Cincinnati Reds taking a 10 to5 loss in game one of the National League Wildard Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. For those of you who are just checking us out for the first time, welcome. We are so glad to have you. Please be sure to hit that subscribe and notification button here on YouTube so you can only get my show after every Red’s game. Hopefully there’s more than just one after tomorrow, but you can get Jeff and Steve Monday through Friday unlocked on Reds as well. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the app today. Well, on today’s show, I think this is a pretty easy place to start. The Dodgers are who we thought they were. We’re going to get into that and their match up with the Reds tonight. We’re talking about Hunter Green, unfortunately struggling in his playoff debut. what that kind of means for the for moving forward, what the Reds have to go from there now. And then the big question, can they even it up? There was something I saw in this game that makes me think if the Reds can kind of, you know, teeter with some approach, move some things around, I think they might be able to be able to get give a chance tomorrow for game one, for game two. All that and a whole lot more. And of course, for those of you who stayed up to hang out with me, I’m going to hear from you, our everydayers, as well. Let’s go ahead and get started, shall we? This is what you’ll be talking about. Well, there’s a reason the Los Angeles Dodgers the defending world champs, right? There’s a reason that they are the $400 million payroll team, right? This is a team that is really good up and down the lineup. And if you remember when Steve and I talked I mean when Jeff and I talked on Sunday, one of the things I brought up was Mukie Bats really had a down year all year. I was really worried about Mookie Bats going into this series because I just felt like he was just due. He got on base three times tonight. Um that certainly hurts and that’s one of those games where you really kind of needed to find a way to get Muki up because Shi Otani also was incredible with two home runs tonight. Um, and that’s what the Dodgers do to you, right? Those top three guys being Otini, Bets, and Freeman. I mean, they combined six hits tonight. So, hard to hard to win when you have to face those three guys. But with that in mind, I think it’s important to note that these are you knew what this was, right? You knew what you were going against. And to quote the late great Dennis Green, they are who we thought they were. These are defending World Series champions. These are guys who have done this before. and you knew you had a battle in your hands. No one thought this was going to be easy, right? No one picked the Reds in the series for a reason. And today, you just saw the difference, not just in the talent on the field, and I don’t want to be insulting to the Reds by any means, but you also just saw the difference in two teams that knew what it took to win in the postseason. Now, the Reds do have guys who have been here before, right? Gavin Lux has been here before. Austin Hayes, I think, has played in the playoffs before in his time in Baltimore. I don’t have that in front of me. so on and so forth. But with that still in mind, these guys and the Dodgers, that’s all they know. All they know is playing more than 162. Um, so when they got to tonight, it seems like, you know, they were aggressive right away. They hit that approach immediately. They got to Hunter Green pretty quickly. We’re talk about 100 in segment two. Um, and they just knew how to put this game away. You know, great threads made a little bit of a run at the end, but it was just too much, man. It was too much. you know that you’re down 10 to two to the Dodgers. Um you’re asking a whole lot of yourself, especially for a team that doesn’t have the offense needed to kind of be able to put those runs here like the Reds have. But you know what? Every time we count this team out, they find a way, right? So maybe tomorrow, they know backs against the wall, win or go home. Tomorrow means everything. Maybe they find a way to go out there and win this one uh tomorrow. And there, you know, we’ll get to that in the third segment as well. is what I think could they could possibly do to kind of get to that point. Um, but you know, tip your hat to the Dodgers. They’re great for a reason. I don’t know. Normally when I watch these games and I watch the Reds play like this, I get really mad and I’m just like, what the heck’s going on? I didn’t really feel that tonight. I kind of felt like, you know, it’s cool they made the playoffs. I’m glad they scored a run. They ended up putting five on the board. Um, and I felt like it was just one of those things where it’s like look, like it’s great that they made it here. I don’t, you know, I love I would love to say I thought they would beat the Dodgers. I didn’t. Um, but I don’t think they’re totally out of it. Now, there are some things that would change for tomorrow. Um, but I still feel like there there’s something there where they might be able to put a little bit of a run together and maybe they can take game two. Maybe they can find a way force a game three and make this interesting. Um, but we shall see and we’ll kind of get to a few of those things here in a little bit as well. But one of the things that was just really disappointing tonight is I thought this moment would not be too big for Hunter Green. I really thought if anyone I could count on this game was that to show up, it would be him. I want to talk about Hunter starting more right after this. Playoff baseball time has me thinking, “Oh man, these Red’s games, I got Mike pulling my hair out. I’m so stressed. I can’t even believe it. They’re in the playoffs.” But thankfully, we have Neutrifull, the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand, trusted by over one and a half million people. 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Visit fan.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. So KC has a comment here I want to make sure I mention. Um this says the Dodgers are probably the worst of the of the end of playoff teams that for them to have to play. I think the Dodgers might be the worst match up for the Reds in general to have to play and I think today is a perfect example. The Reds scored five runs today. They scored the second most runs of anyone in the playoffs today. Think about that. Now, they did get doubled up, but the Red Sox one scoring three runs, the Cubs run one scoring three runs, and the Tigers one scoring two runs. So, yeah, a lot of that is uh getting drawing walks. But that’s part of it. But hey, I want to make sure I give shout out to all of our everydayers who have been here with me throughout the season. Thank you all so much for spending some time with me. If you also want to become an everyday, you can subscribe to us here on YouTube or your podcast app of choice and hit that notification button so you always know when an episode pops up. Whether it’s me here on the postcast or it’s Jeff and Steve Monday through Friday on Locked on Reds as well. Let’s get to the turning point tonight’s game. Time to reveal where the game was won or lost. It’s the turning point. Turning point tonight easily had to be the third inning when the Dodgers got two big home runs. specifically Tioscar Hernandez hitting a three-run shot that brings in Freddy Freeman and Max my to give them a four nothing lead and Tommy Edmond follows that up with his for his first run of the postseason giving them the five nothing lead and those were both off of Hunter Green and that was Hunter’s last ending of the day. Now obviously you could see from Jump he wasn’t himself and I’m not going to sit here and listen to anyone talk bad about Hunter Green, okay? I’m not. I have a hard time blaming somebody for their first start in the postseason ever against their hometown team and a team that their career they’ve struggled against not being good. Now, he definitely needed to be better and obviously we all know that the Reds needed him to be his best self for them to have a chance when the Dodgers and went against the Dodgers and he wasn’t that. It sucks. It couldn’t have popped up at a worse time, but I’m not going to sit here and just like berate him. I think he knows enough that he wasn’t good enough and I think he knows enough that he put the team back uh in a in a hole that they had to try to dig themselves out of and they tried to dig themselves out of it. I mean, it just didn’t happen. But, um, I didn’t, you know, and the control definitely seemed off. He spikes that first slider on the first bat to Otani and then he also has kind of like a couple more of those pitches there. the pitchcom thing after pitch one. Um we saw a couple pitchcom issues in baseball games today. Um it was just really f it was really really kind of crazy to see. But for him, you know, the four strikeouts, it felt like he was kind of getting his groove again there in the second inning. I thought he was about to kind of get back and settle in and the third inning happened. And I don’t blame Tito for pulling him there. Um, you know, it just kind of happens. And I feel like, uh, for him, you know, if he had a chance to do that game over, I bet you he’s better. I don’t think he’s going to get that opportunity. Um, because obviously now you got to win two and get ready to go to Philly next week if you do. I Who knows? Anything’s possible, like I said. Um, but I feel like for him, um, just sucks that it happened when it did. I still have all the confidence in the world of him as a pitcher. I think the next time the Reds are in this situation where he’s pitching game one in the playoffs, he’s going to be significantly better. I hope we are having this conversation next year. Um, and hopefully, you know, a home game, maybe a buy. That’d be cool, too. But, you know, just sucks that it had to be tonight that he had to have that game. And I thought Scott Barlo did a really good job coming in and kind of cleaning up the mess going in two/3s, four strikeouts. Thought he was really good. Thought Graham Mashcraft was solid tonight. Um, that was a total BS call in that hit by pitch on Rojos. That was dumb. That was so stupid. Um, but Scott Bar, you know, Conor Phillips obviously struggled his first playoff game as well. And then, um, you know, Brent Sudter obviously probably had to eat more than he wanted to. Uh, so that’s kind of how that goes. And, you know, we’ll see how things happen there for the future. Um, but you know what? It’s not over till it’s over, right? We didn’t hear no bell. And one guy who really showed up that I was really impressed with today, Matt Mlan. This is the locked on player of the game. Matt Mlan with two hits including the first hit of the game of court ripping a double down the line. Um and then obviously getting another hit later on. And I thought had a decent at bat even though he struck out in the in the ninth inning there. Um but it felt like it was an at bat that could have gone either way. I for sure thought I probably would have called ball four there. I’m not going to but I’m not going to sit here and throw stuff um and see what we can get we got going on. But uh we shall see how things move forward for him. Hopefully he can build off it. So now we turn to tomorrow and it is all or nothing now, right? This is literally all or nothing. This is win or go home. This is you have to have it or you don’t have a season anymore. Game 164 is the end of it. It’s nerve-wracking as a fan, right? But there are some things I saw tonight that I feel like can really give the Reds a little bit of a benefit. In particularly, I think everyone knows where I’m going with this. I’m not doing too good at the TE’s job here. It’s getting to the Dodgers bullpen. We saw it in the se in the eighth inning, right? They score three runs. They’re getting they’re drawing walks. That bat bat by Ellie was awesome. Oh my god, that was such a great at bat by Ellie to draw that walk there. Just amazing takes he took. Um and then I know you know Tyler Stevenson’s working towards a good at bat then has a strike out probably ball four um that he swung on. Um but you know you look at after Blake Snow got taken out which Blake Snow was awesome. Um Bessley gets to a third of an inning that gives up two runs. Enrique Hernandez doesn’t record an out. Um and then Dryer does get the two outs and uh Blake Trinan does go out there and get uh get go through the ninth inning. But we kind of all have heard about it this whole offseason. How know this whole season how the Dodgers bullpen is really hitable. If you can get to their bullpen, you can find a way. Now that leads to the next question. How do you get to the bull bullpen? Well, tomorrow the game plan looks like game two that the Dodgers are going to throw Yamamoto out on the field. And uh I understand the Yamamoto has been incredible. He’s 12-8 with a 249, right? In his last seven starts, he’s two and0 with a 153 in 47 innings. But walks have been an issue for him too of late. Um, actually, no, that’s a lie. Sorry. His whip is a 72. But what I’m trying to get to, and what my point is I’m trying to make as I’m glancing through my notes, is that the Reds are much better team against right-handed hit pitching first off. Tomorrow, Gavin Lux is probably going to be in the lineup. Tomorrow, Will Benson’s probably going to be in the lineup. And I feel like those two guys could potentially get the spark. Gavin Lux had a ninth inning hit tonight. obviously um didn’t end up meaning anything but I feel like there’s still a chance there and now the other thing is the question of do you pitch Zack Latell tomorrow? I don’t think I do. I think I you know if I’m going down I’m going down knowing I gave Andrew Abbott a chance to keep my season alive. That means I got to pacell game three in a do or die game. So be it. Tomorrow’s do or die and even think about a game three I got to win tomorrow. So I absolutely hope that Trey Fran Kona goes that route. I also hope Sal Stewart’s on the lineup tomorrow. If they have a lineup with Lux, Benson, and Stewart, I’m going to feel significantly better. While I say that, if Terry Francona somehow comes across the Reds post cast, I know he won’t, but if he somehow comes across the Reds postcast, keep Tyler Stevenson in the lineup tomorrow, do not have Jose Shvinho in the lineup. Don’t do it. Give your team the best chance you possibly can to win tomorrow because it is all or nothing. And that is what I’m just going to say. No more of this flipping start flipping pitcher catchers every other day. No, Tyler Stevenson plays tomorrow, too. If you want to win this series, if you have a if you want to give yourself a chance to win tomorrow to keep your season alive, you need him in the lineup. And you saw it tonight when he hit that RBI double that he ripped down the line, had an unbelievable swing, and we know how good he’s been since he came back from the IL. Keep him in there. All right, rant over. But I know a lot of people are coming in here and they’re calling them dead. They’re calling them done for. They’re calling them cooked. How many times did I call them cooked and they found a way to stay alive? You can’t kill them, right? They’re going to test that theory tomorrow. And I’m willing to see if they have it in them. I really cannot wait to be here with you guys Thursday. I really can’t because for some reason or another, my gut feeling says they’re going to win tomorrow. But tonight, we have to sit here and sit with this loss and figure out how we roll with the punches because in game one, the Reds do take the tough loss to the almighty LA Dodgers 10 to five. The Dodgers have 10 runs on 15 hits and no errors. The Reds have five runs on seven hits and one error. Blake Snell gets the win. Hunter Green gets the loss. And now we turn forward to game two in a must-win game. And at the moment, Zack Latella is scheduled to start for the Reds. He is going finishing the regular season with a 10-8 with a 381 RA. And he is going against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is 12-8 with a 249 and has thrown 173 pitches and has 201 strikeouts. First pitch is at 9:08. Thank you, Chris. He’s right. Chris says game two is actually tonight. You’re right. It’s 12:30 in the morning. As I’m closing out the show, first pitch is at 9:08 Eastern tonight. Everyone, thank you so much for staying up with me. Believe until there’s nothing to believe in anymore, guys. Let’s see what they can do. Let’s give them a chance to prove us, right? Prove us again tomorrow. Go Red Legs. Let’s win game two. I want to see you guys on Thursday. And I know you guys want to see me on Thursday, too. Let’s find a way to make it happen.

The Cincinnati Reds dropped Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, falling 10-5 at Dodger Stadium. Cincinnati looked overmatched for much of the night against the defending champions, who built a commanding lead early. The Reds did show some late fight, stringing together quality at-bats in the eighth inning to push across three runs against the Dodgers bullpen, but the deficit was too great to overcome. Now the Reds face a win-or-go-home scenario in Game 2, with their 2025 season hanging in the balance.

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