Cincinnati Reds preview: Players to watch and prediction vs Dodgers

The Cincinnati Reds will be making their highest profile trip to Hollywood in a number of years.  Coming off a week in which they went 4-1, the Reds have some momentum as they challenge a Dodgers club with a 9-8 record.

Over the next three days, the Reds will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, see Clayton Kershaw make his season debut, and witness the Dodgers faithful reaction to Yasiel Puig in Red. Let’s take a close look at the pitching match-ups, players to watch as well as a series prediction.

Jackie Robinson Day is Monday, April 15th and to help celebrate the Dodger great, fans will be treated to one of the most exciting pitching match-ups of the young season.  Former MVP, 3-time Cy Young Award Winner, and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw makes his 2019 debut.

After battling a shoulder issue in Spring Training, the 31-year-old southpaw takes the mound for the first time against a worthy counterpart in the Reds right-handed ace Luis Castillo (1-1 0.92 ERA).

Tuesday night the Dodgers counter with righty Kenta Maeda (2-1 4.76 ERA), while the Reds send right-hander Tyler Mahle (0-0 0.82 ERA) to the mound. In the series finale Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles have yet to announce their starter, however the Reds will go with Sonny Gray (0-2 2.03 ERA).

In 10 career starts  versus the Reds, Kershaw is 3-2 with a 2.54 ERA.  Speaking of all-time greats, Cincinnati’s Joey Votto has struggled in his career when facing the Dodgers ace. Votto is 5-25 (.200) with 13 strikeouts.  However, the Reds left-handed hitting first baseman has taken Kershaw deep on a couple of occasions.

The Dodgers snapped a 7-game losing streak, which included a 4-game sweep in St. Louis, by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.  Los Angeles currently sits in 2nd place in the National League West, trailing the San Diego Padres, whom the Reds will play next, by 2 games.

Hitting has not been an issue for the Dodgers. They lead the National League in every meaningful statistic. Where the Dodgers have struggled is on the pitching mound. The club is 8th among NL pitching staffs with a 4.94 ERA.

The Reds (5-9) are coming off a week in which they swept the Miami Marlins at home and split a two-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals in Monterrey, Mexico.  Despite their winning ways last week, Cincinnati is tied for last place with the Chicago Cubs 4 games behind division leading Milwaukee.

Pitching has been the Reds calling card to begin the season. The Cincinnati pitching staff’s 3.21 ERA is good enough for 3rd in the National League. While the offense has been much more productive over the past week, the club still ranks 11th among senior circuit teams.

Last year saw the Reds take 6 of 7 games from the two-time defending NL Champions including a 4-game sweep at Dodger Stadium.  However, in 2017 the Dodgers won all 6 contests between the two clubs.