CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds’ comeback fell short after another rookie pitcher let the game get away.

Scott Van Slyke, A.J. Ellis and Yasiel Puig homered during a five-run fourth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 7-4 victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Left-hander David Holmberg (1-4) allowed all three of the Dodgers’ fourth-inning homers. His start was the 73rd by a Reds rookie pitcher this season.

“It’s his command. It sounds like a broken record,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “David is getting behind and getting hit, or getting ahead and not finishing them off.”

Pedro Villarreal held the Dodgers for 3 1-3 innings to allow the Reds to make it close.

“When you’re not winning, you have to find victories in other ways,” Price said. “Pedro saved the rest of the bullpen and didn’t allow the Dodgers to get that separation. That gave us a chance to come back.”

The Reds scored three in the seventh and one in the eighth. They had the tying run at the plate in the ninth but Kenley Jansen struck out Eugenio Suarez to earn his 25th save.

Kike Hernandez added three hits and Adrian Gonzalez chipped in a ninth-inning RBI double for the NL West-leading Dodgers, have won two straight games after a season-high, five-game losing streak.

The Reds, who have lost 11 of their last 12 games and slipped to 1-8 on their 10-game homestand, reached left-hander Brett Anderson for three unearned runs. Anderson (8-8) gave up five hits with one walk, four strikeouts and a wild pitch.

Luis Avilan struck out Jay Bruce with the tying runs on base in the eighth before Jansen finished it off.

After Hernandez gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with a second-inning single, Van Slyke led off the fourth with his fifth homer of the season and first since June 26 at Miami. Ellis followed with a 413-foot, two-run shot, his fourth, before Puig also launched a 413-footer to center field with Jimmy Rollins on base for a 6-0 lead.

Puig’s 11th homer of the season knocked Holmberg out of the game. The left-hander was roughed up for seven hits and six runs with two walks and one strikeout.

Holmberg also allowed three home runs against the Dodgers on Aug. 15, giving up seven runs in just two innings of a loss in Los Angeles.

The Reds took advantage of second baseman Chase Utley’s two-out error on Bruce’s popup in the seventh inning to score three runs.

Ivan De Jesus Jr. broke up the shutout with an RBI single before Brayan Pena added a two-run liner past a sprawling Anderson.

Jim Johnson struck out Ryan LaMarre to end the seventh.

Brandon Phillips added an RBI single in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: RHP Juan Nicasio reported no problem after facing five batters in the eighth inning of Los Angeles’ 5-1 win on Tuesday, manager Don Mattingly said before Wednesday’s game. Nicasio was reinstated from the disabled list before the game after missing 12 games with a left abdominal strain.

Reds: Baseball-related activities are not in OF Billy Hamilton’s immediate future. Hamilton, the major leagues’ stolen-base leader, still has to wear a shoulder harness for periods of time every day and is in physical therapy while trying to recover from a sprained capsule in his right shoulder. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 19.

REDS’ MENACE

Hernandez is 12 for 27 (.444) with a home run and four RBIs in his eight appearances against the Reds.

HOT BAT

All-Star Todd Frazier is hitting .387 in his last eight games. The home run derby winner has four multihit games in his last six appearances.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: RHP Zack Greinke (13-3, 1.67), the major leagues’ ERA leader, is the scheduled starter as Los Angeles tries to salvage an eight-game road trip that opened with five straight losses.

Reds: Rookie RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-9, 3.97), the most experienced of Cincinnati’s all-rookie rotation with 30 career starts, is the scheduled starter in the finale of the Reds’ 10-game homestand.

 

Dodgers 7, Reds 4

Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

J.Rollins ss 5 1 0 0 0 0 .223

Puig rf 4 2 1 2 1 0 .253

A.Gonzalez 1b 5 0 1 1 0 0 .288

Ju.Turner 3b 5 1 1 0 0 1 .302

Van Slyke lf 4 1 2 1 0 1 .244

Ji.Johnson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Howell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Nicasio p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

C.Crawford lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .255

Utley 2b 2 1 1 0 1 0 .213

Ellis c 3 1 1 2 1 1 .224

K.Hernandez cf 4 0 3 1 0 0 .305

B.Anderson p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .054

Ethier lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .289

Avilan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Jansen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Totals 37 7 10 7 3 6

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Bourgeois cf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .236

Suarez ss 4 0 0 0 1 1 .298

Votto 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 .306

Phillips 2b 4 0 1 1 0 0 .287

Frazier 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 .265

Bruce rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .233

De Jesus Jr. lf 4 1 1 1 0 2 .265

B.Pena c 4 0 1 2 0 0 .275

Holmberg p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .125

Villarreal p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

a-LaMarre ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .100

Ju.Diaz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Badenhop p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b-Schumaker ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .217

Totals 35 4 8 4 3 9

 

Los Angeles 010 500 001 — 7 10 1

Cincinnati 000 000 310 — 4 8 1

 

a-struck out for Villarreal in the 7th. b-singled for Badenhop in the 9th.

E—Utley (7), Bourgeois (1). LOB—Los Angeles 7, Cincinnati 7. 2B—A.Gonzalez (29), K.Hernandez (12), Bourgeois (1). HR—Van Slyke (5), off Holmberg; Ellis (4), off Holmberg; Puig (11), off Holmberg. RBIs—Puig 2 (38), A.Gonzalez (74), Van Slyke (22), Ellis 2 (12), K.Hernandez (19), Phillips (49), De Jesus Jr. (17), B.Pena 2 (15). CS—Frazier (5).

Runners left in scoring position—Los Angeles 5 (J.Rollins 2, Puig, Ethier, C.Crawford); Cincinnati 2 (Bruce, Suarez). RISP—Los Angeles 1 for 12; Cincinnati 3 for 8.

Runners moved up—J.Rollins, K.Hernandez.

 

Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

B.Anderson W, 8-8 6 2-3 5 3 0 1 4 92 3.36

Ji.Johnson H, 23 2-3 1 1 1 0 1 16 4.45

Howell 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 1.47

Nicasio H, 11 1-3 1 0 0 0 1 6 3.00

Avilan H, 13 1-3 0 0 0 0 1 4 3.95

Jansen S, 25-27 1 1 0 0 1 2 23 2.52

 

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Holmberg L, 1-4 3 2-3 7 6 6 2 1 89 7.62

Villarreal 3 1-3 1 0 0 0 2 38 3.12

Ju.Diaz 1 1 0 0 0 1 19 4.36

Badenhop 1 1 1 1 1 2 24 3.76

Howell pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

Inherited runners-scored—Ji.Johnson 1-0, Howell 1-0, Nicasio 2-1, Avilan 2-0. HBP—by Villarreal (Utley). WP—B.Anderson.

Umpires—Home, Jeff Nelson; First, Laz Diaz; Second, Chris Guccione; Third, Cory Blaser.

T—3:16. A—17,712 (42,319).