Cincinnati Reds: Lodolo pitches 5 scoreless innings in rehab start for Dragons
Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo came to Dayton on Sunday, April 26 for a four-inning rehab assignment. But he and the fans got more than they expected. Lodolo pitched so well and so efficiently that he pitched five innings and earned the win in the Dragons’ 3-0 victory over South Bend.
He assured all that he didn’t go back out for the fifth just to get the win. He laughed at the suggestion. “I needed to hit my pitch count,” he said.
“Got the workload in that I needed to. ” Lodolo threw only 42 pitches through the first four innings. So he pitched the fifth and threw nine pitches to reach 51 for the day.
He allowed two hits, no walks and struck out seven. He showed no signs of the troublesome blister on his left index finger that sent him to the injured list before the start of the season. “Finger wise felt good – I'm really happy about that,” he said.
“Biggest thing for me out there today, I'm thinking, is literally just how many strikes can I throw and just get my feet back under me. It was exciting to be out there. ” Lodolo said he continues to assess and research how to avoid the recurring blister problems in the future.