The Cincinnati Reds get an ace back in their rotation on Tuesday when they host the Colorado Rockies in the second game of a four-game series.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-3, 2.96 ERA) returns for Cincinnati after spending the minimum 15 days on the injured list due to a blister on his left hand.
In his latest start, on June 23 against the Boston Red Sox, Lodolo had his five-start winning streak snapped. He allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits over 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.
Lodolo will be making just his second career start against the Rockies. On Sept. 4, 2022, he allowed just two hits over six shutout innings, striking out nine and walking one in a no-decision.
The Reds will be looking to build off a 6-0 win on Monday, a contest that featured a spectacular effort by first-time All-Star selection Elly De La Cruz.
The Cincinnati shortstop singled, doubled home a run, walked, scored twice and stole two bases as the Reds snapped a three-game skid and improved to 1-3 on their 10-game homestand.
“Our team came out and the baserunning was a big part of the game,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Elly did it all (Monday), he’s had a lot of good (games) this year. That was at the top of what we’ve seen from him all year, just in all areas of the game.
“Even defensively, some routine plays but they were nice plays, and just had all kinds of energy and he’s just doing everything in his power to get us off to a good start. He kind of set the tone for the game.”
The Rockies got their seven-game road trip off to a sloppy start, committing two errors, including an embarrassing miscue in the fourth inning.
Colorado starter Ryan Feltner allowed a soft toss back to the mound from catcher Elias Diaz to bounce lazily off his glove and onto the grass behind the pitcher’s mound. Jeimer Candelario raced home to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead, with the error charged to Diaz.
“That was frustrating,” said Rockies manager Bud Black, who watched his team fall to a National League-worst 32-59. “Catchable ball that (Feltner) looked a touch lackadaisical on. We talked about it down in the tunnel. In that type of game, one run can make a difference.”
The Rockies will send right-hander Cal Quantrill (6-6, 3.77) to the hill on Tuesday.
In his latest start, a no-decision against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, Quantrill allowed two runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. In that outing, he fanned two to record his 500th career strikeout, becoming the 16th Canadian-born major-leaguer to accomplish that feat, a list that includes his father, Paul Quantrill.
Cal Quantrill is 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA over his past 12 starts dating back to the beginning of May. He is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four career outings (two starts) against the Reds.
–Field Level Media
