Cincinnati Reds‘ pitcher Nick Lodolo got first MLB win this past Sunday. That win ended an 11-game losing streak for this team that has started 2022 off slow. Hopefully his outing along with their other prospect Hunter Greene gives the Reds fans some hope for the future.
Memorable First Win
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo got his first MLB win and it will certainly be a memorable one for him. Not only did he end the Reds’ 11-game losing streak, he limited the hot hitting St. Louis Cardinals to five hits over five innings. It helped that they had an early lead. It was the first time the Reds offense have given their starters a lead this season. This was also their first win at Great American Ball Park in 2022.
His final pitching statistics were five and two-third innings, which was the longest outing by any of their starters to date. He finished with 79 pitches, with 57 of them for strikes. Another notable statistic, he tossed first-pitch strikes to 15 of 22 batters, including nine of the first 11 he faced.
Previous 2022 Starts
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo got first MLB win in his third start. His previous other starts were not that good, but provided some much-needed MLB experience. In his MLB debut on April 13th; he gave up five runs on seven hits in only four innings of work. He also gave up two home runs. One positive from that start was that he struck out three in the first two innings.
His second start lasted five innings. He gave up three runs, six hits and a home run while striking out eight, taking his second consecutive loss. The positive in that start was that he looked more relaxed and showed the Reds fans what to expect when his 94-96 mph fastball is in command.
Top Prospect Out of College
He was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2017 and was All-Big 12 Second Team in his sophomore year. During his junior season in 2019, he was considered one of the top pitcher prospects and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. The Reds chose him as their top pick in the draft at number seven.
Minor Leagues
He immediately signed and was sent to Billings of the Advanced Rookie League and then was promoted to Dayton of the Class-A Midwest League for the remainder of the year.
He did not play a minor league game in 2020 because of the cancellation of the minor league season due to COVID-19, but was back in 2021. Lodolo was assigned to Double-A Chattanooga to start the season, then he went to Triple-A Louisville and showed promise. Lodolo missed the rest of the season in the middle of August due to an injury.
Bright Future
It will be a long season and the Reds are in a rebuilding phase. Hunter Greene who is considered their top pitching prospect, has struggled but soon he will show everyone what made him their top prospect. They are also hoping that Vladimir Gutierrez can get his form back and gets going. With these three pitchers they can form a very good starting rotation for the Reds’ future. If Lodolo continues building his stamina and improving, he will be a big part of that future.
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