Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Teoscar Hernández again delivered the winning blow, and for the first time in a Dodger uniform, Tarik Skubal pitched into the eighth inning.

On a hot, muggy Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 3–2.

Shohei Ohtani didn’t play after playing on Monday. The Dodgers are trying to get Ohtani feeling better before the postseason. Everyone knows he won’t be fully healed in October, but his team will need his offensive production to win many playoff series.

For the first time since coming off the IL, Will Smith hit a home run, a solo shot in the first inning. He has performed well as he is building his endurance.

Tarik Skubal was great. He attacked the strike zone with his entire arsenal. According to Smith, Skubal made one mistake that went 444 feet off Elly De La Cruz. His changeup was darting down in the strike zone. He struck out five while walking two.

Skubal said that the ultimate job of a starting pitcher was to go deep into the game. During the time between starts, he was working on his fastball command.

Eduardo Henriquez and Tanner Scott were sharp in relief.

Since the Dodgers received great pitching, they could waste some scoring opportunities. They used a hit-by-pitch to score. In the fifth inning, Teoscar Hernández had the only hit with runners in scoring position.

Since the Dodgers indicated that they were going to find another solution in left field than Teoscar Hernández, he has been on fire. He had to alter his batting stance to produce more control and power. This batting stance change required loose hips, and after abductor and hamstring injuries, he was scared to open his hips. He has opened his hips and is getting great results.

On Wednesday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, the Dodgers will try to sweep the Reds and will win seven consecutive games for the first time in 2026.