If the Dodgers fail to make it to the 2018 postseason, it won’t be because of their (current) 9-7 record against the National League West-leading Colorado Rockies, or even their (current) 7-9 record against the NL West third place Arizona Diamondbacks.

No, if the (current) NL West second place Dodgers fail to make it to the 2018 postseason, it will be because of their inability to beat the third worst team in the National League – the Cincinnati Reds – against whom they are (currently) 0-5, with two games remaining against the NL Central cellar dwellers.

They are the Dodgers Kryptonite.

It took Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood all of eight pitches in the bottom of the first inning to put the 78-66 Dodgers down 2-0 in the eventual 10-6 loss to the 62-83 Reds. Wood was so bad that when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts finally pulled him with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, he had already allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits (including a home run), while walking two (one of which scored) and six strikeouts, having made a total of 76 pitches, of which 52 were strikes in his 3.2 innings of work.

It took seven runs and eight hits before Roberts finally came to the conclusion that Alex Wood didn’t have it on Monday night. Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m thinking that he may have waited a bit too long to reach this conclusion.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

“The nights when you don’t have anything are not very fun,” said Wood, after his nightmarish outing. “This isn’t a place where you can come and not be sharp and expect to do well, and they took advantage of that tonight.”

As for (currently) being 0-5 against one of baseball’s worst teams, the always ‘fluffy’ Roberts danced around simply saying that his team, yet again, got their butts kicked by the last place Reds.

“I wouldn’t expect for our club to be 0-5 against anyone,” Roberts said. “That first time around they really pitched us well. We still can’t figure a way to get [Scooter] Gennett out, and that was apparent again.”

Okay, but what about all of the other hits that Messrs. Wood (4), Pat Venditte (1), Ryan Madson (4), and Josh Fields (1) allowed in addition to the four hits (in five at-bats) that Gennett had on the night, or the fact that Roberts’ team went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine men on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, only to have Kiké Hernandez strike out swinging on two pitches that were clearly out of the strike zone.

Not exactly the best pitch to swing at on a 2-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

The point here isn’t to bag on the Dodgers for losing Monday night’s game. The point here is to bag on the Dodgers for losing five games to one of the worst teams in all of baseball that they could ill afford to lose, period; games that they absolutely positively should have won … or at least a few of them.

But there’s still hope, Dodger fans. There are still two games remaining against the Reds at Great American Ballpark.

The question is, of course, are the Dodgers even capable of salvaging the last of their seven total games against the third-worst team in the National League?

Stay tuned…