LOS ANGELES -- The Reds have had to regroup from tough losses or even a difficult few days throughout the 2025 season. But how they respond in the coming days will be their biggest test yet.
Nick Lodolo looked sharp in his return from the injured list, but he was equally unlucky during a four-run fourth inning. That, plus a club-record 19 strikeouts for its hitters, doomed Cincinnati to a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday. Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep, ending a 43-series sweepless streak for the Reds that dated back to the final games of last season.
“This is a really resilient group, a lot of grit," designated hitter Gavin Lux said. "We’re going to use that off-day [Thursday] and reset and come back ready to play against the Cardinals on Friday.”
The timing for finally being swept couldn't have been worse for the Reds. They have dropped six of their last seven games to finish a three-city West Coast road trip with a 3-6 record. They totaled 11 runs in those six losses.
The slide coincides with a resurgence by the Mets, who completed a three-game series sweep of the Phillies shortly after the game began at Dodger Stadium.
With 28 games left in the season, Cincinnati (68-66) is now 4 1/2 games behind the Mets in the race for the third National League Wild Card spot. The deficit hasn't been that large since July 8. The club hasn't been two games above .500 since it was 52-50 on July 22.
As recently as last Thursday, the Reds trailed the Mets by only a half game.
If things don't turn around -- and fast -- the Reds could slide right out of the playoff race. That would mean a key upcoming Sept. 4-6 home series vs. the Mets would lose all significance.
"I just told our guys we can choose to make the next five weeks like the best five baseball weeks of our life," manager Terry Francona said. "But we’re going to have to remember everything we’ve talked about from Day 1. And learn from things that happen and then move on. And hopefully get a little rest tomorrow and come back ready to go. Because we’ve got to get after it."
Lodolo, who last pitched 1 1/3 innings Aug. 4 vs. the Cubs before a blister on his left index finger forced him out, retired his first nine batters in a row while looking dominant. That included a stretch of four straight strikeouts.
The Reds held a 1-0 lead on Noelvi Marte's one-out, first-pitch home run off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, before Los Angeles came to life. Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Ohtani lined a single into right field to be his team's first baserunner of the night.
There was one out when Teoscar Hernández blooped a single to short right field. The next batter, Andy Pages, had a near carbon-copy result with his own blooper that landed in right field. Lodolo had two strikes on Kiké Hernández before he rolled a seeing-eye single through the middle under diving second baseman Matt McLain to score two runs.
With two outs, the Reds opted to intentionally walk Miguel Rojas. The move backfired when Dalton Rushing hit his own rolling two-run single up the middle between McLain and diving shortstop Elly De La Cruz to put the Reds down, 4-1.
“I hung some pitches there in the fourth. Outside of Shohei -- hit the ball hard to lead off the inning -- the two in no-man’s land to follow that up and the two singles that just found their way through. It’s baseball," said Lodolo, who pitched 4 2/3 innings with four runs, five hits and one walk allowed with six strikeouts while throwing 76 pitches.
The only good news was that Lodolo had no issues with his healed finger.
“I felt great. Excited to get back out there," he said. "Definitely wish it would have went a little different.”
Including the nine K's notched by Ohtani, the 19 strikeouts by Reds batters set a club record for a nine-inning game. It was also a club record for Dodgers pitchers.
"I don’t think they’re pressing," Francona said. "I think that other team has some really good pitching, and when they get you down in the count and you start chasing, that’s what’s going to happen."
After the Reds face the Cardinals this weekend, the next three series are against contenders in the Blue Jays, Mets and Padres.
"Just show back up on Friday ready to win a game. That’s all you can do," Lodolo said. "There’s no question we’ve got to start winning some games.”