MIAMI -- Nick Lodolo made his first start on the bump after being reinstated from the Reds¡¯ paternity list Monday night.
The new father tossed 99 pitches over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and allowing three earned runs in Cincinnati¡¯s 6-3 loss to Miami at loanDepot park. He has a 2.79 ERA through five starts this season.
¡°You¡¯re excited,¡± Lodolo said on his emotions in his return, following what he tabbed as the ¡°best couple of days of my life.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve got a different type of adrenaline running through,¡± he said. ¡°The last couple of days have been great. I got here last night, and felt great going into today.¡±
Lodolo, whose 0.96 ERA through his first three starts was the fifth-lowest in Reds history, was just an out away from his 21st career quality start before being pulled.
And while he didn¡¯t add another quality start to his resume, Lodolo has kicked off 2025 in prime form. It¡¯s a promising new beginning after an injury-riddled 2024 in which he had four stints on the injured list.
Lodolo carried a 2.31 ERA into Monday¡¯s matchup. He threw six scoreless innings and surrendered just three hits on April 8 vs. San Francisco. That came after he started the year with a bang, becoming Cincinnati's eighth left-handed pitcher since 1901 to allow five or fewer hits with zero walks over at least six innings in their season debut.
Lodolo began Monday with a 1-2-3 inning, utilizing a solid mix of his pitches -- sinker, slider, curveball and changeup -- to put away the top of the Marlins¡¯ order on 15 pitches.
He was tagged in the second inning to the tune of two runs, but he escaped further damage thanks to an impressive running catch in left field by Austin Hays before getting Eric Wagaman to pop out with the bases loaded.
Cincinnati¡¯s defense showed its prowess again in the third, this time on a liner to right that was snagged on a diving lunge by Jake Fraley.
¡°It was great,¡± Lodolo said. ¡°Hays and Fraley, those were big plays.¡±
The two angelic outfield plays were just a microcosm of the team¡¯s defensive output. The Reds turned in a clean game behind both Lodolo and the bullpen -- a welcome sight for the coaching staff, given the defensive inconsistencies to open the year.
The Reds ranked 24th in fielding percentage (.981) coming into the game, and their 15 errors were tied for the sixth-most across the Majors.
Their defensive brigade, however, has looked different recently. Led by Elly De La Cruz, who notched MLB¡¯s Play of the Week after his Superman-esque diving grab Sunday, the unit has played three of its past four games without a blemish.
And De La Cruz had another diving stop, albeit slightly less impressive than the one Sunday, to get Cincinnati out of the inning in the eighth.
Lodolo¡¯s third earned run came on a solo homer from Wagaman in the fifth, and Miami tacked on three more runs thanks to a Kyle Stowers homer off reliever Alexis D¨ªaz in the seventh.
Despite the loss, Reds manager Terry Francona was encouraged by Lodolo¡¯s start.
¡°You look up and it¡¯s almost six innings of three runs,¡± Francona said. ¡°A lot of pitches, and [Miami] did a good job. They hit a couple early fastballs. He got ahead sometimes and had a tough time putting some guys away, but ¡ you look up, and he gives you a chance to win.¡±
The Reds¡¯ bats, meanwhile, were far cooler than they were after Sunday¡¯s record-setting romp of Baltimore. Cincinnati didn¡¯t manage a run until the eighth, plating three runs in the inning (two of which came on Gavin Lux¡¯s first homer of the year).
¡°I¡¯m glad that we scored a bunch,¡± Francona said on Sunday¡¯s eruption. "Good for us, but good or bad, you have to turn to the starting pitcher for the next day. [That] a lot of times determines what¡¯s going to happen, not the day before.¡±
As for Lodolo, he¡¯s hoping his new addition to the family provides a little extra juice for him heading into his next start.
¡°A really exciting time for my family and myself,¡± he said. ¡°But we¡¯re back at it now, and just got to get ready to make the next turn here.¡±