The Los Angeles Dodgers (83-56), one of the best road teams in Major League Baseball this season, will begin a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds tonight at Great American Ballpark at 7:10 p.m. The game can be live streamed here; Dodgers fans can hear Vin Scully's sultry tones on 570 Fox Sports LA, while Reds fans can listen to the action on WLW 700.
This series will have playoff implications, although the impact will most likely be on seeding, rather than determining which teams make the cut. Cincinnati is the second wild card team at the moment, but they are a full seven games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the hunt for that final spot.
The Reds are still in contention for the National League Central division title as well, trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates by three games and the St. Louis Cardinals by a mere 1.5 games. They are also battling with the Cardinals for home field in the one-game wildcard playoff situation.
Tonight they will send Mike Leake (11-6, 3.51 ERA) to the hill as they make their push in the final month to take the NL Central crown. Leake has been shaky in some of his more recent starts, but rookie Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is expected to sit tonight out, giving him a reprieve from one of baseball's most dangerous hitters.
"I still feel like I'm making pitches," Leake said. "Just two or three mistakes per game kind of got me."
Opposing Leake will be Chris Capuano (4-7, 4.41 ERA), who is said to be battling recently acquired Edinson Volquez for a spot in the Dodgers starting rotation. "There's always pressure in a sense that there's always someone ready to take your spot if you're not getting it done," Capuano said. "The only pressure is me just trying keep up with these other guys and give us a chance to win."
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