By Hal McCoy
One thing that has been proven without argument the last two weeks is that the chasm between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers/Los Angeles Dodgers is as deep as the Mariana Trench and as wide as the Pacific Ocean.
More proof was provided Thursday afternoon when the Dodgers crushed the Reds again, this time by 8-2.
It clinched two things: A positive for the Dodgers and a negative for the Reds.
The Dodgers clinched their 13th National League West title in 14 years. The Reds, with their 82nd loss this season, clinched a losing season.
It will be the Reds 13th straight season with no more than 83 wins. And it will be the 14th straight season of not finishing better than third in the National League Central division.
With Thursday’s debacle, the Reds were finished this season against LA and they’ve lost 11 of the last 12.
Brady Singer started Thursday’s game and the Dodgers made quick and efficient work of him — 3 1/3 innings, seven runs, nine hits and four walks.
Reds manager Tito Francona constantly praises Singer for his competitiveness and willingness to take the ball. He has made 30-plus starts in three straight seasons.
But when do results come into play?
Singer is tied for the most losses in the majors with 15 and his last four starts have been the kind that runs most pitchers out of the game.
In those four starts, Singer has pitched only 16 1/3 innings and given up 21 earned runs, 25 hits and 15 walks, an 11.57 earned run average.
The Dodgers scored two runs with their first three batters of the game — a walk to Freddie Freeman and a home run by Kyle Tucker.
It was the third time in a week a Reds pitcher has walked a batter and then given up a home run. In fact, Reds pitchers have done that 17 times this season, most in the majors.
Walks have been a posterior pain for the Reds all season. Cincinnati pitchers issued six walks Thursday and lead the major with most walks issued — 630.
Singer walked Alex Freedman to open the second and he came around to score during a two-run LA inning.
Six straight batters reached base during LA’s three-run third, one scoring after a Singer walk. He walked four and three scored.
What the Reds need to do is resurrect the video that was displayed on the old Riverfront Stadium scoreboard. It flashed, “Walks Will Haunt,” and a ghost danced around the screen.
About Singer’s day, Francona said, “He might not agree, but I thought he was trying to get more (velocity) and then he wasn’t commanding what he had.
“He yanked some pitches and that’s a tough team to not command because on mistakes they can really make you pay,” he added. “Sometimes guys try to reach back for their stuff. You almost have to pitch with what you have. The better your command, the better you’re gonna be.”
And with that quick post-game media conference, Francona bolted from his seat and rushed through the door.
The Dodgers started lefthander Justin Wrobleski, who has spent the season rotating between the bullpen and starting assignments.
He pitched three perfect innings, nine up and nine down. He struck out both Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz in the first inning.
After his strikeout, Stewart heaved his bat angrily in frustration. But on his next at bat against relief pitcher Blake Treinen in the fourth, he drove his 32nd home run into the right field seats, his 109th RBI.
The winning pitcher was Landon Knack, just called up from Triple-A. He gave manager Dave Roberts four scoreless innings mid-game.
The Reds didn’t score again against three LA relief pitchers until the ninth and Stewart started that with a one-out single. He took third on Will Banfield’s single and scored on Juan Brito’s ground ball.
But when Elly De La Cruz goes 0 for 4 and strikes out his first three times up, the Reds are in trouble. Any success they’ve had in September — very little — revolved around De La Cruz.
But on this day his 23-game on-base streak came crashing down.
With the six-run loss, the Reds’ record in blowout games decided by five or more runs is 17-36. The Dodgers are 31-15.
And, as they say, there is not rest for the weary. The Reds host the Chicago Cubs for three games, beginning Friday night.