Nick Lodolo bounces back with five scoreless

The Jays hit Lodolo early and often in this one, smacking three doubles off of the lefty in the bottom of the first inning that resulted in two runs coming across to score. Those would be the only two runs Lodolo would allow in the game. He would escape a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and would be pulled at the top of the sixth inning after hitting Nathan Lukes with a pitch to start the frame. Lodolo’s season ends with a 3-6 record and a 4.97 ERA.

Lodolo worked around a walk in the first inning, then gave up a run on a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a sacrifice fly in the second. After two more scoreless innings, the Cubs brought a second run home on two hits in the fifth before Michael Busch took Lodolo deep for a solo homer in the sixth. Lodolo would return for a scoreless seventh, going seven innings in back-to-back starts. He struck out just one batter while generating eight groundouts. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 5.04 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and an 80/44 K/BB ratio across 103 2/3 innings into a start against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Friday.

Lodolo allowed only three hits, but two of those were homers, and two of the four batters he walked came around to score. On the plus side, though he dropped to 3-5 with a 5.12 ERA, it is the first time in 19 starts this year that he’s completed seven innings. He’ll likely face the Cubs on Sunday.

Lodolo served up a solo homer to Will Smith in the first inning. Two walks, a base hit, and a hit batter brought a second run in for the Dodgers in the second. A walk, a hit batter, and a base hit scored another run in the fifth and left two runners on as Lodolo departed with two outs at 97 pitches. He struck out six. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 5.12 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 75/38 K/BB ratio across 89 2/3 innings into a start against the Dodgers in Cincinnati on Monday.

Lodolo struck out five in his longest start in five outings since coming off the injured list. He’s still looking for his first win since returning. It’ll be a long shot to happen next time out, since he’s currently slated to be matched up against Tarik Skubal in a start against the Dodgers.

Lodolo struck out five and walked two. He gave up two homers, one on a hanging breaking ball to Rafael Devers. The left-hander has been on the injured list twice this season with blister issues, and he’s admitted to working through adjustments to his pitch grips lately. He’ll carry a disappointing 5.24 ERA into his next start against the Padres.

Two of Lodolo’s three starts since coming off the injured list have been poor ones, and obviously this isn’t the good outing. The 28-year-old gave up 10 hits, and was consistently behind hitters with two walks and just 50-of-91 pitches landing for strikes. The 2019 first-round selection’s season is essentially a lost one, but it’s worth noting he has a relatively friendly matchup on paper against the Giants on Wednesday in San Francisco.

It was Lodolo’s first start in over five weeks because of his blister issue, and it wasn’t a particularly good one. He didn’t walk anyone and did strike out five, but he allowed three homers in the outing before exiting after his four frames. Lodolo’s 2026 has been a disappointment both in terms of injury and results, and his ERA is now a bloated 4.86 on the season. His next chance to rebound comes Sunday versus the Marlins.

Lodolo returns to Cincinnati’s rotation following a nearly five-week absence due to a blister issue. The 28-year-old southpaw threw 65 pitches over 4 1/3 innings during his final minor league rehab outing for Triple-A Louisville last week, so there shouldn’t be any limitations from a workload standpoint when he takes the ball against the White Sox on Tuesday night. He boasts a lackluster 4.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 50/27 K/BB ratio across 62 2/3 innings over 12 starts this season.

Lodolo also walked two and struck out four while throwing 57 percent of his pitches for strikes. He posted a 12 percent swinging strike rate and sat 93.3 mph on his sinker, so his velocity looks good. The command of his changeup was an issue in this one, with just a 53 percent strike rate, and it’s still unclear which pitch(es) are causing the most issues with his blisters. Lodolo threw 65 pitches in his one, so he should make one more rehab start before returning.