The Cincinnati Reds lost 9-5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a spring training game on Thursday. Starter Nick Lodolo struggled, surrendering four earned runs in the first inning and six earned runs across four total innings. The Reds have high expectations for Lodolo once again in 2026, and one bad start against the defending champions is not the end of the world. Still, it obviously was a far from ideal performance. 

After his outing, Lodolo commented on what went wrong against the Dodgers on Thursday.

"I got to the four inning mark," Lodolo said, via Charlie Goldsmith. "I felt good. The first inning, I left fastballs over the plate. They got hit. Other than that I felt pretty good. I felt strong all the way through the four."

The fact that Lodolo felt "strong" is perhaps the most important takeaway from a spring training contest. Pitchers are looking to build up in preparation for the regular season during the spring.

It is also worth noting that Lodolo struck out three hitters and did not walk any batters. The Dodgers were simply able to hit the pitches he left over the plate. 

Lodolo is a guy who utilizes a number of different pitches. On Thursday, he was not generating much in the swing-and-miss department. Lodolo drew 31 swings on 61 of his total pitches. Only five of those swings resulted in a whiff. His curveball generated the most whiffs, with three out of his eight curveballs leading to the result.

Of course, his sinker -- the pitch he threw the most against the Dodgers -- is not a swing-and-miss pitch. It is intended to lead to ground balls. So a 17 percent whiff rate on that specific pitch is not concerning.

However, Lodolo surrendered six total hits. Two of those came on sinkers. Out of all of the balls put in play, three hard hits came on sinkers as well. Meanwhile, one of Lodolo's four-seam fastballs was hit especially hard, with an exit velocity of 109.7.

In 2025, Lodolo was in the 68th percentile in whiff percentage and 91st percentile in chase percentage. When he's at his best, he is getting batters to swing out of the zone. Walks were not a concern on Thursday or in 2025 for Lodolo. He ranked in the 95th percentile in walk percentage a season ago.

Lodolo is likely going to be fine despite his underwhelming outing against the Dodgers. He doesn't throw especially hard, as Lodolo ranked in the 41st percentile in fastball velocity last year. As a result, Lodolo cannot get away with fastballs left over the plate. He needs to consistently paint the corners and only mix in the heater to offset his offspeed pitches, as well as his sinker.

Nick Lodolo will look to bounce back in his next spring training start before Opening Day.