Two outta three ain’t bad - Reds blanked by Dodgers in series finale

As it turns out, Clayton Kershaw can be as good at age 35 as he’s ever been. The veteran lefty kept the Cincinnati Reds completely at arm’s length on Thursday in the series finale between them and his Los Angeles Dodgers, and another frustrating outing by Graham Ashcraft left the Reds with a 6-0 defeat.

Ashcraft exited early after being hit in the calf by a comebacker, his day ending after yielding 3 ER in just 2.2 IP. That means that he’s now yielded 41 ER in his most recent 29 IP dating back to May 7th, and with the current six-man rotation the Reds have been running out slated to skip back to a five-man rotation, today’s events may well be a deciding factor in who gets the short straw.

Maybe it’ll be a quick IL trip for Graham. Maybe it’ll be an option back to AAA Louisville to work on his craft. Either way, the hope is that he’s able to quickly rediscover his immense talent, as the team’s rotation is going to need him both now and later if they’re going to achieve the heights they so desperately desire.

As for Elly De La Cruz, his first foray into facing a Hall of Famer from the right side of the plate resulted in an infield single and a swipe of 2B, but he fanned for the rest of the day in what was his quietest outing thusfar.

A disappointing finish to an otherwise incredible homestand for all parties involved, and the Reds now embark on a three-city, ten-day road trip where they’ll face St. Louis, Kansas City, and Houston in nine individual outings.

On a rosier note, get another t-shirt if that’s your thing. They’ve got Elly’s atomic first homer and the excellent call by John Sadak plastered across it for you and yours to remember for all time. THAT BALL HAD A FAMILY!

Yes, I’ll make a buck or three if you buy this shirt after clicking through this, or the above link.