Whether it be just a bump in the road or an all out crash and burn is not yet apparent, but the first place Cincinnati Reds brought their slump that started on the road back to Crosley Field for the final homestand with a 6-4 loss to the second place Los Angeles Dodgers. The fifth straight loss reduces the margin between first and second place to four games with three contests left in the series.
The pitching matchup featured a pair of young flamethrowers, with Bill Singer starting his second game back from injury for the guests, while Gary Nolan took the hill for the home team. However, Nolan did not have it this night as the Dodgers jumped on him for three runs on four hits in the opening frame and never looked back. All of the damage came after two were out, as Wes Parker laced a double to right center and Billy Grabarkewitz singled to round out the scoring in the inning. Each collected three hits apiece for the game, with Parker only a home run shy of completing the cycle.
Singer was on, giving up just two runs on five hits and striking out five in seven innings of work against the Reds' thumpers. Nevertheless, the hosts chipped away at the lead with single runs in the third and seventh innings. Angel Bravo, who turned in a 2 for 4 night, knocked in both of the runs.
Los Angeles came right back in the eighth inning to squelch any thoughts of a dramatic comeback. After loading the bases against reliever Clay Carroll, Maury Wills lined a single to left. Bernie Carbo charged hard on the ball hoping to make a diving attempt, but the ball skipped by him and rolled to the wall for an error that cleared the bases.
Cincinnati did rally in the ninth, scoring two off Pete Mikkelsen to make it interesting up until the final out, but Tony Perez flied out to center as the potential tying run to end the game.
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