It’s all on Nick Lodolo today

The Cincinnati Reds have scored just 39 runs in 14 August games, with a trio of runs or fewer put on the board in 10 of those. The offense, it should be very well noted, has not been good for some time.

Their team wRC+ this month is just 75, which ranks 28th among the 30 MLB clubs. Their collective .328 slugging percentage in that time similarly ranks 28th. Their 26.8% K-rate over that span ranks 29th. Even Joey Votto, who is mercifully getting the day off today, has been in a major funk - he’s hit just .174/.281/.322 in 33 games since the start of July, and is just 2 for 39 (!) in his last 9 games. I think you’re getting the picture.

As they’ve lost 9 of their last 12 games, it’s becoming more and more apparent that they’ll need to rely on their beleaguered pitching staff to help carry them while they sort out their offensive woes. That didn’t go according to plan in the last Nick Lodolo start, but the Reds will once again look to the talented rookie today to help them in their quest for a single victory in their series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It’s an early one - 12:35 PM ET is the start time.

Let’s hope for something exciting.

Reds Lineup

Phillies Lineup