Our Shortest Episode of Chatterbox Reds EVER

Trace Fowler and Nick Kirby will be LIVE in the 9th inning!

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The Cincinnati Reds opened a difficult road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-3 loss on Monday night, dropping their record to 69-75 with 18 games remaining in the 2026 regular season.

Despite the loss, Elly De La Cruz continued his impressive season by hitting his 24th home run and stealing his 25th base. De La Cruz finished 2-for-4 and gave Cincinnati an early lead with a first-inning solo homer against Emmet Sheehan. Over his last seven games, De La Cruz is batting .462 with three home runs and seven RBI.

The 24-year-old shortstop remains one of the biggest bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for the Reds. De La Cruz entered Tuesday ranked fourth among all MLB position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement and second in the National League. He is also getting on base at the highest rate of his career.

Eugenio Suárez added another milestone during Monday’s game. His seventh-inning solo homer was his 211th in a Cincinnati Reds uniform, moving him past Ken Griffey Jr. for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time home run list.

Suárez has caught fire after remaining with Cincinnati through the trade deadline and clearing waivers in August. Over his first 30 games following the deadline, Suárez posted a .234/.378/.511 slash line with seven home runs and 23 RBI. His late-season production has been one of the most encouraging developments for the Reds.

Rookie pitcher Chase Burns also impressed against the Dodgers. Burns completed three scoreless and hitless innings, striking out five and retiring Shohei Ohtani twice. He was removed after 44 pitches despite cruising through the Los Angeles lineup.

The Reds are limiting Burns to approximately three innings per start for the remainder of the season. Instead of shutting him down completely, Cincinnati plans to keep Burns on a regular five-day schedule while controlling his workload. The goal is to continue his development without adding too many innings before the offseason.

Burns is projected to finish with approximately 157 innings between the regular season and All-Star Game. That would represent a significant increase from the 109.1 innings he threw in 2025.

Cincinnati’s defense and bullpen were unable to protect the early lead Monday. A throwing error by Ke’Bryan Hayes allowed two runs to score in the fifth inning before Teoscar Hernández broke the game open with a three-run homer in the sixth. The Dodgers scored six runs despite recording only three hits.

Hayes was activated from the 10-day injured list before the series opener after recovering from a left groin strain. Edwin Arroyo was optioned to Triple-A Louisville in the corresponding move. Hayes has struggled offensively this season, but his elite defense remains valuable to Cincinnati.

Graham Ashcraft also returned from the 60-day injured list over the weekend. The right-handed reliever had been sidelined since May 29 with a sprained UCL in his right elbow. To create a roster spot, the Reds designated veteran left-hander Sam Moll for assignment.

The Reds arrived in Los Angeles with momentum after winning two of three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Cincinnati scored 12 runs in Sunday’s series-clinching victory, with De La Cruz driving in four. Héctor Rodríguez and Juan Brito collected three hits apiece, while Tyler Stephenson added two RBI.

Cincinnati will conclude its three-game series in Los Angeles on Wednesday before continuing a challenging September schedule. The Reds will host the Dodgers for four additional games beginning Monday, September 14, at Great American Ball Park.