CINCINNATI -- Just add water.
It seems as if every time the Los Angeles Dodgers go on the road, they get rained on and score runs, two things that never seem to happen at Dodger Stadium. Two days after having three innings rained out in Colorado, the Dodgers can expect thunderstorms in Cincinnati on Tuesday evening, according to forecasts.
But in between, they managed to beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Monday night to keep the road trip humming along. In their past 10-game home stand, the Dodgers scored four runs or more three times. In four games on this trip, they have scored six runs or more three times.
How it happened: Scott Van Slyke hit two home runs and Dan Haren pitched capably into the sixth inning before yielding to reliever J.P. Howell, who got inning-ending double plays in back-to-back innings.
Hits: It has been portrayed as a four-outfielder logjam, but really it’s five. Going into Monday, Van Slyke had a higher OPS (.924) -- by a lot -- than every Dodgers outfielder not named Yasiel Puig. Van Slyke continued padding his numbers with a solo home run in the second into the second deck and a three-run shot in the fifth. Van Slyke’s role is to pound left-handed pitching, and he has made a nice little niche for himself, even on a team in which outfielders are a dime a dozen.
Misses: The Dodgers are 2-0 in games Jamie Romak has started. That's a good thing. Otherwise, it hasn’t been the out-of-nowhere fairytale everyone was rooting for. A day after picking up his first major-league hit, Romak -- who broke into the majors at 28 last month -- was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts (and a walk), while making a spot start at first base for Adrian Gonzalez. Romak has one hit in 11 at-bats and might find it hard to keep a roster spot as some players on the disabled list look to return soon.
Stat of the game: Of Van Slyke’s 60 career hits, 31 have gone for extra bases.
Up next: The teams continue their four-game series here Tuesday, with Josh Beckett (3-3, 2.57 ERA) pitching for the Dodgers and Mike Leake (3-5, 3.29) going for Cincinnati. The game begins at 4:10 p.m. PT.
