With two runners on base and two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo stepped off the rubber, picked up the rosin bag, stared back at the catcher and took a deep breath.
In a full count and a scoreless game, Lodolo was looking for the right pitch that could get him out of his biggest jam of the day. He perfectly placed a sinker on the left edge of the strike zone and got Orioles second baseman Ramon Urias to strike out looking to end the inning.
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On Sunday, the Reds beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2, in front of a crowd of 20,496 at Great American Ball Park. Lodolo had his most dominant game in MLB and pitched six innings, allowing one run with seven strikeouts. He showed the mentality, the command and the pitch repertoire that make him one of the most valuable players in the Reds organization.
“He can be one of the best left-handed starters in this league," Reds third baseman Brandon Drury said. "I’m very high on Lodolo.”
Lodolo left the game in line for the win, but the Reds needed a go-ahead home run by Drury in the bottom of the eighth inning to get the win. Drury is currently in the spotlight with the trade deadline coming up on Tuesday, but he has continued to show the advanced approach at the plate and the power that have made him a valuable piece of the Reds.
In his most recent start before Sunday, Lodolo made his best start as a big leaguer as he struck out a career-high nine batters in a career-high six innings. After missing two months early in the season with a strained back, Lodolo has worked his way back to the pitcher that the Reds have seen ever since they drafted him in the first round in 2019.
“I’m literally trying to just fill up the zone,” Lodolo said. “I’m letting my stuff work inside the zone. I know if I do that, it’ll probably be a good day.”
During his first trip through the Orioles’ lineup, he didn’t allow a ball out of the infield. On one pitch against Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Adley Rutschman, a former No. 1 pick and a recent No. 1 prospect in baseball, Lodolo fooled Rutschman with a low breaking ball. Rutschman lost the grip of his bat and accidentally flung it to the Orioles’ dugout as he whiffed at the pitch.
Lodolo was in control of the game the entire way. The upcoming trade deadline is creating a sense of uncertainty within the Reds’ clubhouse, but Lodolo’s impressive start was the type of moment that shows why the front office has confidence in the team’s future.
”He’s a young pitcher with an incredible presence,” Reds manager David Bell said. “(He has) a lot of confidence and the ability to go after it.”
In two different innings on Sunday, Lodolo stranded two runners on base with a big two-strike pitch that ended the inning. Both times, he went through the same pre-pitch routine, got the outcome he was looking for and calmly walked off the mound.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Reds offense rallied to take a two-run lead. For the second straight day, Reds first baseman Joey Votto delivered one of the biggest hits of the game.
With two runners on in the sixth, Votto knocked an opposite field single that rolled into left field. Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, which put the Reds up 2-0. Reds reliever Alexis Díaz gave up the lead by allowing a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning, but Drury responded for the Reds with a go-ahead homer in the Reds’ next turn to bat.
"I knew (Orioles reliever Félix Bautista) was throwing hard, throwing 101 mph," Drury said. "I was trying to get on the fastball. I just missed the one I swung at, I was a little bit late on it. Then he threw another one for a strike, I got to 1-2, and he throws a lot of split-fingers with two strikes. I was kind of trying to foul off or cover the fastball, but not be on it too much. I was trying to cover his split just by the percentages. He threw the split and I barreled it."
Drury has put in place a few key adjustments at the plate, including seeing the ball deeper into the strike zone. He credited his success to working with his father during the offseason and getting back to his “natural” swing.
In previous years, he saw a heavy shift to the third-base side and over-thought his process at the plate by trying to poke opposite field hits. This season, Drury embraced his natural strength, and he hit his 20th homer of the year on Sunday.
”Great players want to be up against the best,” Bell said. “Brandon definitely wanted to be up in that spot.”
Bell has called Drury’s breakout season one of the most meaningful parts of a disappointing year for the Reds. In potentially his last game with the team at Great American Ball Park, Drury delivered the game-winning swing.
"This one, I thought, was one of the best games of the year, really," Bell said. "Our team, no matter what, just kind of continues to just play. That's it. That's pretty much that simple, just go out and play the game."
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