Rhett Lowder fans four in no-decision on Friday

Lowder threw 48 pitches today. The Rockies swung at 33 of them and put 16 into play for 11 hits. It was Coors Field, but this was still a rare pounding. Since 2020, he’s the ninth road pitcher to give up eight runs in Coors and the second to surrender 11 hits in fewer than three innings, joining Miles Mikolas on Aug. 9, 2022. Lowder dropped to 3-7 with a 5.75 ERA. He belongs in Triple-A at this point, but it probably won’t happen with Nick Lodolo on the IL. It might later; if the Reds stick him in the minors for about six weeks, he’d conclude the season with just less than two years of service time, pushing his free agency back by a year.

Lowder only gave up one walk and he was able to strike out eight, but he gave up a whopping 11 hits before exiting. There was some bad luck as the 24-year-old only allowed seven hard hits in the contest, but one was a solo homer by Jake Bauers, and a four-run fourth removed any chance this was going to be a literal or figurative quality start for Lowder. He’ll look to rebound against the Orioles on Sunday.

Lowder’s sinker-slider approach fared decently well against the Brewers’ left-handed heavy lineup. He consistently got ahead in the count and forced 13 swings-and-misses, but at times struggled to put hitters away and allowed too much hard contact. His changeup bailed him out of a few jams and was also responsible for a long home run by Jake Bauers. Also, his fastball got hit hard when he tried to sneak it in the zone. Through 58 innings this season, he has a 4.81 ERA, 48 strikeouts, and 29 walks. He’s scheduled for a rematch with the Brewers next time out plus the Orioles after that on the road in a two-start week.

Lowder made it through the first inning without any trouble, but gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm in the second inning. That was just the start of what turned into a rough inning for Lowder, who then walked back-to-back batters, which set the table for Ben Rice, who smacked a three-run homer to put the Yankees up 4-0. Lowder wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the way, but the damage had been done, and his offense didn’t offer him any support against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler. It’s only the third time this season that Lowder has allowed four or more earned runs in a start, but he’s also struggled to pitch deep into games as of late. We’ll see if he can turn things around in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Brewers.

Lowder served up a solo homer to Corbin Carroll in the first inning. He then settled in nicely, scattering four more hits and two walks as he pitched into the sixth without allowing another run. He’d depart with two outs in the sixth with six strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander will carry a 4.60 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and a 37/25 K/BB ratio across 47 innings into a start against the Yankees in New York on Friday.

Lowder gave up one hit, walked five and struck out four. He threw 70 pitches in what was his first start since he went on the injured list for shoulder pain in early May. It was a bit of a mixed bag considering he walked five batters and was only able to complete three innings. He has a 5.01 ERA. Lowder is lined up to face the Diamondbacks at home next weekend.

As anticipated, Lowder will make his return to the Reds’ rotation on Sunday against the Cardinals. He has been shelved since May 13 due to pain in his pitching shoulder. The 24-year-old hurler holds an uninspiring 5.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 27/18 K/BB ratio over 38 1/3 innings in eight starts for the Reds this season.

Lowder gets the ball this weekend after striking out eight and allowing three runs over five innings during his final minor league rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect posted a serviceable 5.40 ERA across eight starts this season before hitting the injured list with a shoulder issue back on May 13.

Lowder gave up six hits and didn’t hand out a free pass, throwing 70 pitches (50 strikes) over five frames. The 24-year-old averaged 94.1 mph on his sinker and 94.5 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is an extremely encouraging sign. He’s on track to return to Cincinnati’s rotation for a road start against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Lowder will make a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Louisville next week. The 24-year-old rookie could rejoin Cincinnati’s rotation shortly afterwards since he wasn’t shut down from throwing for very long after hitting the injured list with shoulder pain back on May 13. He should be ready to return to the Reds rotation by mid-June.