First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Dodgers, already clinched for a 14th consecutive playoff berth (and chasing a fifth straight NL West title with a magic number of three), visit the last-place Reds in Game 2 of a four-game series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts for LA against Rhett Lowder for Cincinnati.
Starting Pitchers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, Dodgers) — 13-8, 2.62 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 171 SO in 172.0 IP. He dominated the Reds on September 9 (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO in a 14-1 win) and has been excellent overall with elite command and strikeout ability.
Rhett Lowder (RHP, Reds) — 6-10, 5.81 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 94 SO in 119.1 IP. He was rocked by the Dodgers on September 9 (3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 ER) and has struggled with hard contact lately (elevated hard-hit rates). Home ERA is better (~4.06) than road, but overall numbers lag significantly.
Current Weather Forecast
Mostly sunny/clear skies with highs near 90–92°F around first pitch, cooling into the 70s later. Light winds (around 3–5 mph from the S/SSW), low precipitation chance (near 0% through the evening), and muggy conditions. Excellent for offense at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park; wind is not expected to strongly favor one direction.
Injury Reports
Dodgers:
Freddie Freeman (1B, knee/patellar tendinitis) — Day-to-day; probable.
Dalton Rushing (C, elbow) — 10-day IL (eligible ~Sept 15).
Shohei Ohtani (DH, biceps/knee) — 15-day IL (out until at least ~Sept 23–26; working on swinging).
Roki Sasaki (SP, finger blister) — 15-day IL (possible return mid-to-late September).
Edwin Díaz (RP, neck) — 15-day IL (rehabbing).
Kris Bubic (SP, shoulder) — 60-day IL (with team, possible activation soon).
Others (longer-term): Gavin Stone, Brusdar Graterol, Eric Lauer, etc.
Reds:
Matt McLain (2B, left shoulder) — Day-to-day (improving; out recent games).
Spencer Steer (1B/OF, wrist) — 10-day IL (return ~Sept 22).
Longer-term: Michael Toglia (1B), Blake Dunn (CF), Hunter Greene (SP, season-ending).
Key absences limit depth on both sides, especially LA’s star power (Ohtani out) and Cincinnati’s middle infield/rotation.
Recent Team Forms
Dodgers (3-2 last 5): Clinched playoffs Monday with a 4-1 win (Skubal 7 scoreless IP; HRs from Tucker and T. Hernández). Prior results mixed vs. Miami (wins and losses) but strong overall (91-59, best in NL West). Offense averages ~5.0 R/G; pitching 3.66 ERA. Away: 44-31.
Reds (1-4 last 5): Lost 4-1 Monday (De La Cruz solo HR). Recent skid includes a 20-0 loss at Milwaukee and the 14-1 defeat to LA. Overall 70-80 (5th in NL Central); offense ~4.2 R/G, pitching 4.88 ERA. Home: 36-39.
Series History
Dodgers lead the season series 4-0 (swept a three-game set in LA Sept 7–9: 6-3, 3-2, 14-1; won Monday 4-1). Yamamoto beat Lowder in the 14-1 game. Broader recent edge heavily favors LA (e.g., strong records in 2025–2026 meetings; Dodgers have dominated many recent matchups). All-time franchise history is closer, but current form and matchups tilt heavily toward Los Angeles.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups / Trends
Yamamoto vs. Reds hitters: Dominated them recently (10 Ks last outing). Expect trouble for contact-oriented or high-whiff Reds bats (De La Cruz, Stewart, etc.).
Lowder vs. Dodgers hitters: Allowed 7 ER in 3.1 IP last time (multiple HRs). Vulnerable to power from Tucker, T. Hernández, Betts, Muncy, and Freeman (if active). High hard-hit rates against him recently favor LA’s offense in a park that boosts home runs.
Team edges: Dodgers superior AVG/OBP/SLG and much better pitching staff ERA/WHIP. Reds have more team HRs but poorer overall production and higher walk rates against.
Notable probable contributors: Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernández, Will Smith, Tommy Edman (Dodgers); Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, Tyler Stephenson (Reds).
Betting Trends
Dodgers strong as road favorites; Reds have gone Over in many recent games. LA has covered/won by 2+ in several recent meetings with CIN. Yamamoto’s form and the mismatch support a decisive Dodgers win; weather and park lean slightly toward higher scoring, but elite pitching (Yamamoto) could suppress it.
GAME ODDS
Los Angeles Dodgers – 230
Cincinnati Reds 8.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, September 14, 2026
