By Hal McCoy
They present the Oscars six miles from Dodger Stadium in Hollywood.
But Los Angeles Dodgers fans get to see their own Oscar, Teoscar Hernandez, their own Academy Award performer.
And his best baseball acting comes against the Cincinnati Reds and he did it again Tuesday night during a 3-2 Dodgers win over the Reds.
His two-out single in the fifth inning drove in the go-ahead and winning run against Reds starter Nick Lodolo.
It was his third hit of the night and he has hit safely against the Reds in 17 straight games.
On Monday night, it was his three-run homer that proved the difference in a 6-3 LA win.
That means the Dodgers have clinched the series, ending Cincinnati streak of winning three straight series against the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.
And Dodger Stadium is a dark cave for the Reds. They’ve lost nine straight games there.
The Reds had their own Oscar winner for best supporting player in Elly De La Cruz.
With the Reds trailing, 2-0, in the third inning against two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, De La Cruz left everybody’s mouths agape.
With Dane Myers on base, De La Cruz swung at Skubal’s first pitch, an 88 miles an hour change-up, and hit it to the far side of the moon.
It traveled 444 feet, the longest homer in Dodger Stadium this year, the longest home run hit off Skubal this season and De La Cruz’s longest of his 25 homers this year.
And he wasn’t finished leaving fans limp.
In the bottom of the third with two outs and nobody on, Teoscar Hernandez — that man again — lined one to center field.
Dane Myers tried to make a diving catch, but the ball skipped past him to the wall. Hernandez tried for an inside the park home run.
De La Cruz took the relay throw and unleashed a howitzer heave homeward, wiping out Hernandez by 10 feet.
StatCast said the throw was 105.3 miles an hour, nearly as fast as the 109.4 miles an hour that the ball left his bat on his home run.
Perhaps thinking that no outfielder can throw a baseball that hard, StatCast took down the 105.3 reading.
“Elly hit that change-up to the moon,” said Reds manager Tito Francona. “That gave us a chance, but Skubal can roll up some double plays (two) and he’s a little bit hard to run on. He’s kinda got the whole package.”
And Elly’s throw?
“That was one of the better throws you’ll ever see and I mean ever,” he said. “I turn on the old videos and see throws by Dave Parker and Roberto Clemente. They might be showing that one (De La Cruz’s).”
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first on a home run by Will Smith. And they took a 2-0 lead in the second.
Lodolo walked Teoscar Hernandez (who else?) to open the inning, He retired the next two, then gave up a single to Max Muncy.
He walked No. 9 hitter Kike Hernandez on four pitches to load the bases and hit Tommy Edman with a pitch, forcing in a run (Hernandez).
De La Cruz tied it with his downrange missile in the third and Teoscar Hernandez settled the issue with his run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth, Lodolo’s last batter.
Lodolo (3-4) pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, five hits, walked three, hit two and struck out six.
“I thought early that he wasn’t commanding,” said Francona. “He got into the third, fourth and fifth, I thought he was better.
“I was kinda fighting it because I know Hernandez is not a good match-up for him, but I really wanted him to get through the fifth,” he added. “That would have been good for him.
“But Hernandez reached out and poked a 3-and-1 change-up into right field.”
That broke the 2-2 tie and Francona then took him out.
Other than De La Cruz’s home run, the Reds managed only three other hits off Skubal (9-7) over his 7 1/3 innings — two runs, four hits, two walks, five strikeouts. He coaxed 12 ground ball outs from the Reds.
“He’s got all the weapons,” said Francona. “He has the fastball that’s upper 90’s, breaking ball, change-up.”
The Reds threatened in the eighth, thanks to De La Cruz. He doubled with two outs. But Sal Stewart took a 102 miles an hour fastball from Edgardo Henriquez.
Umpire Andy Fletcher called it a ball but an ABS challenge revealed it was strike three.
De La Cruz has reached base two or more times in 12 straight games.
The Reds also threatened in the ninth. LA closer Tanner Scott walked Tyler Stephenson to begin the ninth. Stephenson has faced Scott three times and walked all three times.
Carlos Jorge ran for Stephenson and watched Eugenio Suarez strike out on three pitches. With JJ Bleday at the plate, Jorge stole second, 180 feet away from tying the game.
But JJ Bleday struck out on four pitches and Jose Trevino grounded out to shortstop.
The Reds, highly successful in one-run decisions, are 24-15 in one-run games and the Dodgers are 30-22.