Tyler Stephenson on Reds; loss vs. Dodgers in NL playoffs
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson talks about Reds’ loss to Dodgers
The Reds were left to ponder why they were swept out of the playoffs despite scoring nine runs in the two losses to the Dodgers.The Reds continued their season-long troubles with clutch hitting, going 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
LOS ANGELES − Elimination from MLB’s postseason can seldom be reduced to a lone factor, even in a short, best of three series. That was true for the Cincinnati Reds‘ brief stay in the 2025 postseason.
Cincinnati was the only club swept out of the playoffs during the playoffs-opening wild card series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it was evident the reasons for its defeat were varied. One deficit seemed more glaring than the rest, and it carried over from the regular season.
“Seems like every time they got traffic on the base paths they cashed those runs in and we didn’t,” Reds first baseman Spencer Steer said.
The Reds scored runs, which was a welcome change of pace from its last playoff appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when they were blanked in consecutive games by the Atlanta Braves. You could even argue they scored enough to support the quality of pitching they seemed to get so frequently throughout the year, but five runs in Game 1 and four in Game 2 ended up being half-measures in 10-5 and 8-4 losses, respectively.
In Game 2, the Reds were 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position. From the sixth inning through the eighth inning, Cincinnati loaded the bases multiple times, including in the sixth inning with no outs. Eight runners were left stranded during that three-inning span.
Asked if the importance of situational hitting was a key takeaway from the 2025 season, Reds manager Terry Francona said: “I don’t think there’s ever a year that it doesn’t. That’s part of baseball.”
In Game 1, Cincinnati was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That made for a 4-for-17 mark over the quick series.
“We had some chances to get back in it there and came up short,” Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo said.
Again, it’s never one thing. Pitching also played its role in the disappointment. The Reds’ strength and its buoy in 2025 was pitching. That didn’t translate to the wild card-round sweep at the hands of the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The staff ERA over those two games ballooned to 9.00 − the highest ERA of the eight teams in the wild card round.
During the regular season, Cincinnati had a team ERA of 3.46.
Opening Day starter Hunter Greene gave up a home run to Shohei Ohtani in L.A.’s first at-bat of the series in Game 1. He eventually allowed three home runs in just three innings of work as the Reds started their postseason journey in a deep hole. In Game 2, trade deadline acquisition and starter Zack Littell surrendered an invaluable 2-0 lead before he made his exit, and Cincinnati didn’t recover in time to extend the series to a third game.
“They’re a good squad. We made mistakes,” Lodolo said. “They punish you for them, for sure. That’s what good teams do.”
Still, so many Reds in the post-game clubhouse pointed back to the offensive shortcomings. And in the Reds’ late push to reach the postseason, credit often went to the pitching staff.
When those same pitchers needed to be picked up against the Dodgers, the Reds just didn’t have enough.
“I think the biggest thing is when we’re playing well we can play with anybody,” Steer said. “But obviously that’s the toughest part of our game is playing well consistently and that’s one thing I think that we can really learn from is finding that consistency, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
“It seemed like our pitching staff really carried us in the latter part of the year and the offense was scuffling.”
“I don’t think there’s ever a year that it doesn’t. That’s part of baseball. And I just told our guys we need to do some things better, myself included. I would never ask them to try to get better and I’m just gonna sit at home. I’m gonna look in the mirror, too. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”