Reds’ Offensive Struggles on Full Display in Shutout Loss to Dodgers

Tuesday night was the first time this season the Reds played a game after being eliminated from playoff contention. Through eight innings, hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers, you clearly saw why one team, the Reds, won’t be in the postseason. On the other side, you saw why the Dodgers will be playing in the postseason for the 14th straight season, with their sights set on a third straight World Series title.

Through seven innings Tuesday night, the Dodgers held the Reds to just one hit and two walks. In the bottom of the ninth, the Reds put runners on the corners with nobody out. They didn’t score a single run, culminating in a 4-0 loss with just three hits.

The Reds are now 70-81 on the season. For those who still have hope, they would need to run the table to finish .500 this season.

Takeaways from the Reds’ 4-0 Loss to the Dodgers Tuesday Night

Reds Bats Silenced… Almost Completely

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) takes off as he hits a double in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. The Dodgers led 3-0 after three innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Yes, the Reds’ lineup faced Yoshinobu Yamamoto Tuesday night, who’s one of the best right-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball. Still, though, the Reds’ lineup was anemic Tuesday night, to say the least.

Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suárez, and Matt McLain all struck out twice in the game. Those three guys were supposed to be cornerstones in the Reds’ lineup this season. Stewart has more than lived up to expectations. Suárez has been up and down, at best, this season. McLain has been dreadful and mind-blowingly underwhelming. When all three of them have a bad night, it’s really tough for the Reds to overcome that.

Stewart is going to have games where he strikes out twice. It just happens. Unless your name is Joe DiMaggio, Tony Gwynn, or Wade Boggs, multi-strikeout games are going to happen. But we’ve seen way too many of those games from McLain this season, 36 times to be exact. Suárez struck out multiple times for the 50th time this season.

It’s really tough to be a good offense when two of your best hitters have each struck out multiple times in at least 36 games, and there are still 11 games remaining. Tuesday night summarized just how dreadful the Reds’ lineup has been this season.

Yamamoto pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven, throwing 55 of his 91 pitches for strikes.

Rhett Lowder Battles to Keep Reds in the Game

Sep 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Reds’ right-hander. There was the strong start, then the stint on the injured list, and the uneven return that followed. That said, Tuesday night was a strong start for Lowder.

Lowder pitched five innings for the first time in three starts, with Tuesday night marking the eighth time in his last 11 starts that he’s pitched at least five innings. Facing a powerful Dodgers lineup, Lowder pitched five innings of three-run baseball and struck out four against just two walks. He threw 91 pitches, 53 of them for strikes.

On Deck

Game 3 of the four-game series between the Reds and Dodgers is Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.

Andrew Abbott (6-11, 4.78 ERA) will start for the Reds against Dodgers left-hander and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell (4-1, 1.91 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. ET on Reds.TV and 700 WLW.

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