Nick

Lodolo

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.

Lodolo’s second start off the injured list was considerably more effective than his first (4 IP, 4 ER). The southpaw allowed only three hits — all singles — and he walked a pair with the same number of strikeouts. Far from dominant, but certainly effective. He’ll get a chance to repeat Friday in a scheduled start in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.

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.

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.