DODGERS’ Shohei Ohtani (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By Pete Zarustica
Orange County Tribune

Although Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez each hit two home runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the opening game of the National League West Wild Card Series on Tuesday, the real hero was someone else.

Starting pitcher Blake Snell tied the Reds up in knots while the Blue Crew built an early 8-0 lead. He worked seven innings, giving up just four hits and two runs. He struck out nine batters and walked one.

Ohtani gave the home team an early lead with a leadoff home run in the first. Hernandez put the Dodgers ahead 3-0 in the third with a two-run homer. Tommy Edman followed that with a homer to right.

Hernandez went deep in the fifth to give the Dodgers a 6-0 lead and Ohtani hit a two-run blast in the sixth to up it to 8-0.

The Reds scrapped back in the late innings but never got closer than the final score.

The second game of the series is Wednesday night and the third – if necessary – is Thursday. The winner of this series will meet the winner of the Padres-Cubs series.