In a matchup that felt more like a Dodgers coronation than a true contest, Los Angeles steamrolled the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Zack Littell, the Reds' beleaguered starter, toed the rubber with postseason ghosts already swirling—after all, he'd faced these Dodgers before in high-stakes spots. But this time, it unraveled fast. Littell lasted just 4.1 innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits, including a pair of homers that silenced the traveling Reds faithful early.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, showcased why they're perennial contenders. Blake Snell, in a Dodgers uniform that still looks a bit foreign, came on in relief and mopped up the middle innings with surgical precision—three scoreless frames, six strikeouts, and not a single baserunner after the fourth. His curveball, that wicked breaker, had Reds hitters flailing like they were back in spring training. Indeed, Snell's performance underscored the trade's impact; acquired midseason, he's been the X-factor in LA's rotation depth. And don't forget Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Game 1 gem, but here it was Snell's night to shine in the bullpen shuffle.
Cincinnati's offense scraped together three runs, mostly off a shaky Dodgers pen late, but it was too little, too late. Elly De La Cruz legged out a double and scored, flashing that raw speed that's supposed to be their edge, yet the lineup managed only six hits total. Littell's stat line: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K—hardly the stuff of playoff lore. The Reds now face elimination, heading into a potential Game 3 where Hunter Greene would draw the short straw against LA's arsenal.
However, credit where due: the Reds hung tough for a bit, forcing errors and capitalizing on a wild pitch. Still, the Dodgers' power—three dingers in this one alone—proved overwhelming. As the series shifts, one wonders if Cincinnati's young core can summon a miracle, or if this is just another October fade against the blue machine.