Dodgers 0 - 5 Reds
Final
  for this game

Cueto dazzles as Reds blank Dodgers

Jun 12, 2014 - 5:35 AM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Johnny Cueto tied a career high with 12 strikeouts over six stellar innings of three-hit ball to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park.

Cueto (6-5) didn't issue a walk and posted double-digit punchouts for the fourth time this season. The right-hander now has 109 strikeouts on the year, the most for any Reds pitcher through his first 14 starts of a season since 1900.

Joey Votto stroked a two-run double and scored once, while Jay Bruce belted a solo homer for the Reds, who had dropped the first two tilts of this four-game set.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-3) absorbed the loss after giving up four runs on six hits with five strikeouts over six innings. Adrian Gonzalez's double in the seventh served as the lone extra-base hit for the Dodgers, who had a three-game win streak halted.

"I thought he was pretty good early on," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Ryu. "I thought it was going to be one of those nights where it was going to be one of those battles with him and Johnny (Cueto)."

The Reds broke through against Ryu in the third after Billy Hamilton and Todd Frazier worked back-to-back walks with two away.

Votto then laced a double into the left-field corner to plate both runners before scoring on Brandon Phillips' looping single into shallow right field to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.

Dee Gordon opened the fourth with a single to left for the Dodgers' first hit, but Cueto promptly picked off the speedy infielder.

Cueto then struck out the side in the fifth before running into trouble in the sixth, when Miguel Rojas and Drew Butera opened the frame with back-to-back singles.

Cueto responded by punching out Ryu, popping out Gordon and fanning Chone Figgins to escape the frame unscathed.

Bruce's one-out blast into the seats in right center pushed the margin to 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth, but with Cueto done after 112 pitches, Los Angeles was able to muster its first real threat in the seventh.

Logan Ondrusek started the inning on the hill and served up a one-out double by Gonzalez to left center before walking Scott Van Slyke. Manny Parra then entered from the bullpen, but Andre Ethier looped a single into center to load the bases.

Cincinnati then summoned Jonathan Broxton from the bullpen and the burly right-hander induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play groundout from pinch- hitter Hanley Ramirez to keep the visitors off the board.

"As a bullpen, as a whole down there, we're just trying to get outs," Broxton said. "I think for the most part we've been doing it all year."

The Reds tacked on an insurance run in the home half on Hamilton's RBI single before Broxton spun a hitless eighth and Aroldis Chapman fanned a pair in a 1-2-3 ninth to complete the five-hit shutout.

Game Notes

The previous Reds record for strikeouts through the first 14 starts of a season was 107, set by Gary Nolan in 1967 and matched by Mario Soto in 1982 ... Los Angeles left fielder Matt Kemp was ejected in the top of the second inning for arguing balls and strikes after striking out looking ... Ramirez was scratched from the Dodgers' starting lineup due to joint irritation in his right shoulder ... Ryu had a four-start win streak snapped and fell to 5-1 in seven road starts this season ... Los Angeles right fielder Yasiel Puig went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, snapping his streak of 40 consecutive games of reaching base safely ... Hamilton stole his 24th base of the season.






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