LA loses 3rd straight for first time since '19

LOS ANGELES -- During the Dodgers’ current funk, the offensive struggles have been at the forefront of a lot of their issues. In Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Reds at Dodger Stadium, the offense performed slightly better, putting up five runs on the board for just the third time in their last nine games, but the pitching wasn’t quite up to Los Angeles’ standards.

The loss marked the first time since Aug. 29-31, 2019, that the Dodgers have dropped three in a row. They’re 2-7 in their last nine games and are 9-8 on the season against teams that aren’t the last-place Rockies.

• Box score

Walker Buehler struck out a season-high 10 batters, but he also allowed a season-high five runs over 6 1/3 innings. Jesse Winker got the best of Buehler right from the jump, launching a homer on the first pitch of the game. Buehler was able to settle in, but the Reds jumped on him for two more runs in the fifth and another in the seventh. It’s the first time in Buehler’s career that the Dodgers lost a game in which he struck out 10 or more batters. He was 8-0 in such games entering Tuesday.

“I don’t care if you punch out 27,” Buehler said. “To keep giving up leads that our offense kept giving me is not acceptable.”

Even with Buehler’s uneven start, the right-hander exited the game with the Dodgers still ahead, 5-4. But the recent bullpen struggles were in the middle of things yet again, as Joey Votto hit a go-ahead two-run double off left-hander Scott Alexander.

With Corey Knebel and David Price out for extended periods, and Brusdar Graterol struggling as of late, the Dodgers will lean on Alexander more than they initially thought. He has been solid over the first few weeks, and left-handers were 2-for-15 against him entering Tuesday. But things haven’t been going the Dodgers’ way lately, and Alexander was the victim of that in the loss.

The Dodgers’ bullpen hasn’t looked like the unit that began the season on a dominant run. With Alexander giving up one earned run on Tuesday, Dodgers relievers have now given up 13 runs over their last 26 2/3 innings (4.39 ERA).

“I love the matchup. Votto is a great hitter, always has been,” Roberts said. “He got a pitch middle of the count and put the barrel to it. I like the matchup. I like Scott right there. He’s been throwing the ball well, but he just couldn’t get an out there.”

Despite Tuesday’s results, Roberts did come away with some positives.

Los Angeles’ offense looked more like the lineup that sent the Dodgers to a blazing 13-2 start. They walked eight times and had some timely hits. Will Smith delivered a three-run homer, his first big fly since April 5, and Matt Beaty contributed with a big two-run single to put the Dodgers back out in front in the sixth inning.

“We know what we have in this clubhouse. We’re a really good group of ballplayers. We’re confident,” Beaty said. “This is going to happen over 162 games. We have some really key ballplayers banged up right now, and it’s just a next-man-up kind of thing. We need to put together some good at-bats, and kind of get the momentum going. Once that happens, it’s going to be game on.”

The Dodgers are hoping that happens as early as Wednesday or they’ll be in danger of being swept by the Reds at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 2018. L.A. will lean on Clayton Kershaw to stop the losing streak. They’ll draw Reds ace Sonny Gray.

“Right now, [we’re] kind of in the salvage-a-series mode,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Last time we played Sonny Gray here a couple years ago, I remember it was a day game and he threw the ball well. We have our horse on the mound. It’s going to be another tight one.”