The Cincinnati Reds lost 8-3 to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, but not because of starting pitcher Rhett Lowder. The right-hander allowed two runs on six hits over five innings, with seven strikeouts against one walk. 

Lowder ran into early trouble, as he allowed a two-run double to Kerry Carpenter in the top of the first inning. However, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder didn't allow another run for the remainder of his outing. He also struck out the side in the third and had a one-two-three inning in the fifth.

The game was tied 2-2 when Lowder left, and Matt McLain doubled in the bottom of the fifth to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. However, Lee hit a two-run homer off of reliever Sam Moll in the seventh to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead, and Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer off of Pierce Johnson in the same frame. Matt Vierling later drove in Carpenter on a sacrifice fly, giving Detroit a 6-3 lead before the inning finally ended.

Cincinnati didn't score another run,  and Moll earned the loss. Lowder is now 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA over six starts this season, and the Reds (18-10) are one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs (17-11) for first place in the NL Central.

Lowder hasn't had an easy road to get to this point, but he's proving why Cincinnati drafted him in the first round in 2023. The North Carolina native went 6-4 with a 3.64 ERA over 22 starts in the minors before getting his first big-league call-up in August 2024. He then went 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA over six starts at the top level to end the season.

Lowder then missed the entire 2025 MLB campaign due to elbow, forearm, and oblique injuries. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon also went 0-3 with a 10.61 ERA over minor-league starts.

Lowder's hot start this season has shown that his productive string of starts in 2024 were no fluke. The 24-year-old is one of several young players performing at a high level for the Reds right now. Other examples include fellow starting pitcher Chase Burns (2-1, 2.57 ERA) and first baseman Sal Stewart (.291/.385/.602).

Up next for Cincinnati is another home series against the Colorado Rockies before hitting the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs. The club is off on Monday before facing the Rockies on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. Burns will start against right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano.