A grounder off the bat of Andy Pages in the Bottom of the 6th inning is going to get a lot of focus from those who follow the Cincinnati Reds religiously, and that’s fine.
Said grounder went five-hole on Elly De La Cruz, and did so with 2-outs and the bases loaded. It was the kind of back-breaking error in a big moment on a big stage that makes you wonder how long its memory will bounce around the All-Star shortstop’s head, one that once again draws attention to his list of defensive miscues at the most
important position on the field.
The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 7-0, however. Ace Hunter Greene served up a pair of dingers to Pages on the very same hanging breaking ball. Greene walked the bases loaded to set up De La Cruz’s misplay, and Austin Hays airmailed the catcher for an error of his own on the very same play.
The Reds ace wasn’t as sharp as he can be. Defenders all over the field had their issues. And the Cincinnati offense, whose collective 76 wRC+ in the month of August ranks second worst in all of Major League Baseball, was once again putrid – this time being absolutely dominated by Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan.
Yeah, Elly’s error burned. It was not, however, the lone reason they lost the series opener while in the midst of a legitimate playoff chase in the powerful National League. They didn’t pitch well enough or hit well enough while also not fielding well enough.
The error was Elly’s 20th of the 2025 season, which is the most in all of baseball. That’s on the heels of his 29 errors last year also being the most in all of baseball. While his range at short is perhaps the best in all of baseball, the total number of extra runners his defensive lapses are allowing is beginning to become something serious worth discussing.
The offense simply cratering, though, is much more a tale worth investigating. Elly’s a part of that too – he’s sporting a miserable 41 wRC+in August – but the team’s overall offensive failings are becoming something that is simply impossible to overcome. Despite playing their home games in the most dinger-friendly park in baseball, their 14 total homers in the month of August are the fewest of any team in the sport.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, now have 36 dingers this month – tied for fourth most in the big leagues. They also now sit atop the National League West standings once again.
