Can wobbling Reds fight their way through LA?

The Reds are on a brutal seven-game skid after a promising start to an expectation-filled season. While the Reds didn’t add much, neither did the rest of the division.

A hot start, full of offense and solid pitching had Reds fans hopeful that watching this team in 2021 would be less like a visit to the dentist’s office.

Sitting at 9-5 with a chance to sweep the in state rival Cleveland Indians the Redlegs were rolling. Unfortunately though, a seven-game losing streak has fans feeling slightly worse than a visit to just the dentist, and maybe feeling closer to a week-long visit to the orthodontist. 

Scraping for hits, playing from behind, and grinding their winning ways to a halt was a painful sweep to the Diamondbacks to be followed by the first cold series for the offense in a three-game sweep to the Cardinals.

Possibly the rudest part of this seven game losing streak is the fact there is no easy end in sight. If only the Pirates or Tigers were in the offing, but instead the Reds will face an angry and potent Dodgers team on the road. 

Urias, Buehler, and Kershaw who could all be aces on the 29 other ball clubs are ready to face a cold Reds lineup, not to mention the challenge Reds pitching will have vs an  All-Star laden Dodgers lineup.

It is not all bad news for the Reds, the Dodgers are coming off a series loss to the Padres, and while it might mean the Dodgers come out even more intense than normal, it also means they are playing a little tight for the first time on the year.

Joey Votto has hit the ball hard, Castellanos is looking like an All-Star (304./337./646.), and Jesse Winker (381./435./667.) has been an absolute stud. In the rotation, Jeff Hoffman has been a pleasant surprise with 4 starts, 20.1 innings, and a 2.66 era, and Tejay Antone has been phenomenal out of the pen.

Additionally there isn’t a better starter so far in the Reds rotation than game one starter Tyler Mahle. If he can keep the Reds from falling behind early, which has been a major issue in this losing streak, maybe they can finally get a lead instead of struggling to play catch up.

This series against the Dodgers is an opportunity. The Reds are reeling, but if the lofty expectations of the roster and staff are achievable then knocking around the Dodgers to stall a lengthy losing streak would be step one in the right direction.