Nick

Lodolo

Lodolo hit the injured list with a blister on his left index finger just prior to the All-Star break. The Reds are going to approach his situation with caution to avoid a potential setback. It’s unclear whether he’ll need a rehab start, but there’s a chance he’s ready to jump back into Cincinnati’s rotation at some point in early August.

Lodolo was pulled from Saturday’s start against the Cubs in the sixth inning after the blister developed. This has been a recurring issue for him dating back to 2023, so the Reds will sit him down and make sure that it fully heals before bringing him back. Chase Petty was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take his place in the club’s rotation for the time being.

He allowed two runs in five-plus innings against the Cubs. Lodolo already missed the first five weeks of this season with blister issues and also lost starts in 2023 and ’24. If this is another IL-type situation, the Reds could replace him in the rotation with Chase Petty.

Lodolo gave up one hit, walked four and struck out four. Injuries have limited the 28-year-old left-hander to just 10 starts so far this season. The bigger problem might be that Lodolo has a 5.05 ERA and 4.80 xFIP in those starts. Difficult to trust, Lodolo will face the Orioles at home this weekend.

Francona expressed optimism that Lodolo will be fine after taking a 108 mph comebacker off his left wrist during Tuesday’s start against the Brewers. It sounds like there’s a strong possibility he’s able to make his next start against Milwaukee on Monday.

Lodolo managed to stay in the contest initially after being hit by a 108 mph comebacker in the fourth inning, but didn’t end up coming back out for the next frame. The 28-year-old struck out six and allowed just three baserunners over four shutout frames. He’ll presumably head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the game.

Lodolo should have gotten through the third scoreless, thanks to a baserunning mistake from Luis Torrens, but Sal Stewart couldn’t hold on to a throw at third, and the Mets went on to score three times in the inning. The other four runs came in the fifth, which featured four singles and a double to the wall in center that Noelvi Marte should have caught or at least made an attempt on. Lodolo averaged a season-low 93.2 mph with his sinker today, which certainly didn’t help matters, but he was also unlucky to give up seven hits on his curve and changeup without ever allowing a hard-hit ball on either. His ERA is up to 6.12, but the Reds will almost certainly stick with him and start him against the Brewers next week.

It was one of the better outings of the season for Lodolo, who struck out three batters through his first two innings of work. He struggled a bit with his command in this one, hitting three batters on the night. One of those hit batters was Jordan Lawlar, who would take his base after the HBP and later come around to score in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2. Lodolo continues to look better than the player we saw earlier in the season, showing better command of the strike zone while also allowing just three earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. We’ll see if he can string together another good start on Wednesday when he takes on the Mets.

Lodolo gave up five singles in a three-run second inning. The third was a bunt, and the fourth was one that a better right fielder than Noelvi Marte would have caught. The remaining damage against Lodolo was a Jordan Walker homer in the fifth. He remained in to start the sixth, but he was pulled after a single and an Eugenio Suárez error. Fortunately, Tejay Antone halted the rally from there. Lodolo was pretty good in his previous two starts, but he’s still struggling to settle into a groove here after missing the first several weeks with a blister. He’ll take a 5.51 ERA into a home start against the D-backs next Friday.

Lodolo gave up two homers, but they were both solo shots leading off innings. He issued four walks, but none of those came back to bite him. He should feel pretty fortunate to pitch like he did and still earn a win over one of baseball’s best teams. He’ll take on St. Louis next week with a 2-1 record and a 5.20 ERA on the season.