CINCINNATI (AP) - Pete Rose’s powerhouse Cincinnati teams had a great rivalry with the Dodgers. Lately, it’s all one-sided.
Yasiel Puig hit two of the Dodgers’ four homers, powering Los Angeles to a 10-2 victory on Saturday that took the edge off the Reds’ latest honor for their banned hits king.
Rose unveiled a bronze sculpture of his headfirst slide in front of Great American Ball Park before the game. Thousands of packed-in fans cheered when he said, “Let’s get those Reds in high gear.”
Instead, the Dodgers flexed their muscle and added to their domination of Cincinnati, beating the Reds for the seventh straight time. They are 16-3 against Cincinnati since 2015, one of the most lopsided streaks in the NL over that span.
“The offense today was the star - team offense,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s an offense that’s relentless and pretty constant at putting pressure on you.”
Cody Bellinger had three hits, including his 19th homer, and drove in three runs. He tied the major league record for homers in a player’s first 49 games, matching the Yankees’ Gary Sanchez from 2015-16.
“Bellinger’s been hitting balls into the street,” Puig said through a translator.
It was the third three-hit game of Bellinger’s career, raising his average to .262. He also leads the team with 43 RBIs in such a short time. Another big game came as no surprise.
“You’re sort of expecting it,” Robert said. “The homers, the doubles, the singles, the walks. … When you look at the stat sheet, it’s very impressive.”
Joc Pederson homered for the second straight game as the Dodgers piled up seven extra-base hits.
Cincinnati has lost a season-high eight straight games overall.
Bellinger doubled home a run in the first off Asher Wojciechowski (1-1). He also homered as part of a five-run third inning off the rookie, and Pederson followed with his second solo homer in two games. Chris Taylor also doubled home two runs.
“I just got too much of the middle of the plate on three pitches,” Wojciechowski said. “To feel like I felt for the first two innings and then for that to happen is frustrating.”
Billy Hamilton scored in the first inning on a headfirst slide - appropriate for the occasion - but the Reds couldn’t take advantage of other opportunities against Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-6), who gave up two runs in five innings. Overall, the Reds stranded four runners at third base and had two thrown out at the plate.
Y’ER GONE
Reds manager Bryan Price got his first ejection of the season from plate umpire Stu Scheurwater, who called a third strike on Hamilton in the second inning. Price was unhappy over a slight delay in the call.
“You want the call immediately,” Price said. “The hesitation got under my skin.”
STATS
It was Puig’s third career multi-homer game. He also had one April 6 against San Diego. … Corey Seager had a single, a double and three walks. He has five multi-hit games in his last seven. … The Dodgers have won eight of nine overall. … Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a double. … During the Reds’ losing streak, their starters are 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA. … Joey Votto extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: 3B Justin Turner got a day off. He’s hit safely in his last 12 games. He spent time on the DL last month with a strained hamstring.
Reds: LHP Brandon Finnegan went four innings in his last rehab start. The Reds hope to increase that by another inning in his next start. He’s been sidelined since April 16 with a sore left shoulder.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Kenta Maeda (4-3) made his first career relief appearance against the Reds on June 9, allowing a run in four innings for his first save in a 7-2 victory.
Reds: Bronson Arroyo (3-5) gave up a season-high 13 hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-3 loss at San Diego on Monday. He’s 6-5 career against the Dodgers.
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