Dodgers show frustration in blowout loss to Reds

The frustration showed for the Dodgers in the opener of their four-game weekend series against the Reds, a 9-2 loss to Cincinnati that gave Los Angeles a second straight loss.

For the second straight night, a Dodgers game involved three runs scoring before the cleanup hitter batted in the first inning. But on Friday, unlike Thursday, that team won. It was Joey Votto batting third on Friday for the Reds, and his fly ball home run to dead center field gave Cincinnati a quick 3-0 lead.

That punctuated a bad inning for Bud Norris, making his first start coming off the disabled list, and he let his frustration spill over on the field, gesticulating often on the mound in the opening frame, so much so that, per Kelli Tenant on the SportsNet LA broadcast, catcher Yasmani Grandal asked Norris to tone it down in the dugout after the inning.

The frustration didn't end for Norris then, as he also allowed three more runs in the fourth inning, including a two-out, two-run hit to pitcher Tim Adleman, making just his fifth major league start. It was Adleman's first major league hit.

The Dodgers threatened often against Adleman, who put nine runners on base in his five innings but none of them scored. Three fly balls literally to the wall were turned into outs, and another was nearly caught before bouncing free for a double by Adrian Gonzalez.

Josh Reddick after a fifth-inning fly out let out his frustration in the tunnel between the dugout and the clubhouse, but still visible on the SportsNet LA broadcast as he slammed his helmet down. Reddick, who walked on Friday and later singled, is 10-for-61 (.164) since joining the Dodgers.

The Reds added to their robust lead when relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen slammed a three-run home run in the seventh, an emotional one at that. Lorenzen, who was just activated off the bereavement list after his father died, was crying in the dugout after the blast.

Up next

Brett Anderson gets the call for the Dodgers on Saturday, in a battle of southpaws against Brandon Finnegan.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Joey Votto (20), Michael Lorenzen (1)

WP - Tim Adleman (2-1): 5 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

LP - Bud Norris (6-10): 3⅔ IP, 7 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts