Finnegan picks wrong night for career-best start

LOS ANGELES — Against any other pitcher, Brandon Finnegan might have been able to enjoy the best start of his career.

The Reds southpaw threw his first big league complete game and only allowed one run, when Howie Kendrick hit into a double play with runners on the corners and no outs in the sixth inning. The Dodgers finished with no RBIs but still handed the Reds a 1-0 loss on Monday night, because Clayton Kershaw was on the mound and threw his third shutout this month.

While any pitcher would like to see his best rewarded, there were still several positives to take away from Finnegan’s start, particularly his command of the outside half of the strike zone.

“It’s an action fastball, two-seamers running off the plate to a right-handed-hitting lineup, which he usually sees,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “Ball one, ball two away, he doesn’t really have the repertoire of a strike breaking ball and changeup that are as reliable as his fastball to get him back into counts. So getting the first strike or being able to hit that outside corner with that low-and-away fastball is really a big pitch for …

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