Cincinnati Reds, Nick Lodolo welcome first place Texas Rangers to GABP

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo plied his trade in college at Texas Christian University, which is not in Dallas, Texas - but it’s close.

The Texas Rangers ply their trade at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, which is not Dallas, Texas - but it’s close.

Though TCU and the Rangers home field are separated by only 19 or so miles in suburban Dallas, this segue seems as if it has drawn on for ten times that length. Anyway, Lodolo and the Reds will play host to the Rangers this evening in Cincinnati, which is not Dallas, and isn’t close.

The Reds will do so on quite the torrid streak of ineptitude, too, as they’ve dropped 6 consecutive games and 11 of their last 14. They’re already buried 8.5 games deep in the National League Central standings, something I’ve rarely even mustered a glance at over the last decade of baseball, and they’ve done so while providing just about as little offense as I’ve ever seen from a Cincinnati baseball squad.

The hope, of course, is that a return to the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park will help jumpstart their bats, but they’ll be tasked with doing so this evening against veteran righty Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi joined Texas in a 2-year, $34 million deal over the winter to add another high-profile arm to their burgeoning rotation, and is a native of Houston, Texas, which is not Dallas, Texas - but it’s closer than Cincinnati.

First pitch this evening is set for 6:40 PM ET because the Reds refuse to schedule games that start after 7 PM anymore despite the pace of play initiatives (and their own putrid offense) shaving dozens of minutes off of game times.

Reds Lineup

Rangers Lineup