LOS ANGELES -- Sure, it's a faulty blueprint, but still one that worked for the Reds in nine of pitcher Luke Weaver's past 10 starts. Weaver often gave up early runs before the offense picked him up on the way to a win.

On Saturday vs. the Dodgers, there were deviations from that script. Weaver gave up only two hits over six innings -- both were Max Muncy home runs. The Reds came back after the first one, but couldn't overcome the second long ball and were handed a 3-2 defeat at Dodger Stadium.

"It’s a tough one," said Weaver, who allowed three runs (one earned) with two walks and two strikeouts. "This game is tough. This game has a lot of ups and downs. Through these trials and tribulations and through some of the success in games, when it gets taken away, it’s tough. But there’s peace in knowing there’s a moment to learn from and get better from. 

"That’s cliche, but it’s where my peace comes from. I’ll go to the hotel and rest easier knowing that I was fearless and fully capable of getting every single guy out in that lineup."

It was the second quality start of the season for Weaver, who pitched six innings for the first time since May 25. In the right-hander's previous 10 starts, Cincinnati scored 78 runs. Saturday was only the second time in that stretch that the lineup scored less than five runs.

Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan entered with a 6.75 ERA but pitched five scoreless innings.

Weaver came in with a 13.24 ERA in the first inning this season. There were two outs with one on when Muncy slugged a 2-1 changeup over the middle of the plate to right field for a two-run homer and a 2-0 Dodgers lead. The runs were unearned because of a Spencer Steer error at third base to start the inning.

Once Sheehan departed, the Reds’ bats got going against the Dodgers’ bullpen. Against lefty Caleb Ferguson, Elly De La Cruz led off the sixth inning with a double and TJ Friedl reached on an infield single after being unable to get a sacrifice bunt down. Pinch-hitter Kevin Newman's sacrifice fly scored the first Cincinnati run. Steer's broken-bat RBI single into center field made it a 2-2 game.

Ferguson walked Joey Votto and newly acquired right-hander Joe Kelly walked Christian Encarnacion-Strand to load the bases. But Kelly escaped by getting Will Benson to look at a strike-three fastball to end the rally. 

"If we were able to score a couple of more right there, or even one more, maybe it changes the way they use their bullpen," Reds manager David Bell said. "We gave it a run there in the sixth, but they were able to stop it right there. That was pretty much the game, the sixth inning.”

In the bottom of the sixth with two outs, Muncy slugged a 3-0 fastball over the plate for another homer to right field. 

“I thought he was really good," Muncy said. "First at-bat, he just left a changeup up for me and I was able to get the barrel on it thankfully. And then 3-0, I was cheating a little bit.”

It proved to be the second and final hit all night for Los Angeles. 

"I executed the pitch," Weaver said. "It just felt like, in the back of my mind, doing something completely different in that count might've changed, but I have to own that. It's what [catcher Luke Maile] called, it's what I agreed to and it's what I convicted-ly threw at 110 percent -- and you tip your cap, he kept it fair.  That's baseball at its finest. It's a tough one, but that can't be how the story ends."

The Reds could not take advantage of a Brewers loss and remained a half-game back in the National League Central division race.

In 18 starts this season, Weaver is 2-3 with a 6.80 ERA. But he's made some repertoire changes that the club has liked in his last two outings. He's added velocity and movement to his pitches, with one of his sliders showing more like a cutter and his other becoming more of a sweeper. 

"[Muncy] won a moment. Instead of dwelling on that, there’s too much good stuff that happened against a great team in a hard environment," Weaver said. "We’re playing way too well to take that moment and let it affect the way we’re going."