The left-hander gave Cincinnati seven innings on a night the offense had almost nothing, and the loss officially closed the door on the postseason.
The Cincinnati Reds lost 4-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Great American Ball Park, and the game followed a script the season has repeated too many times.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo went seven innings and allowed four runs, the lineup managed almost nothing against one of the best pitchers alive, and a late homer made the score look closer than the night felt.
Cincinnati fell to 70-80 with its sixth loss in seven games.
Walks Against a Team With No Margin
Left-hander Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and allowed just three hits, so Lodolo had no room for mistakes and made two costly ones anyway.
Right fielder Kyle Tucker walked in the fourth and scored on left fielder Teoscar Hernández's two-run homer, and Hernández walked in the seventh, stole second and came home on a single by first baseman Enrique Hernández.
Lodolo allowed only three hits himself, but he walked four, and he told reporters the free passes have been the season's recurring problem while giving the opposing ace his due.
"Obviously, one of the best pitchers in the league, if not the best. So you know that going into the game. But regardless who's on the other side, I'm more worried about doing my job and letting our guys handle that. My job is to keep us in the game, give us a chance to win," Lodolo said after the game.
Manager Terry Francona kept his summary short, calling Los Angeles a dangerous team that made three hits count.
Lodolo let the frustration show in the dugout after his final inning, and Francona brushed that part off, saying he only cares about what his pitchers do on the mound.
The Season Question Is Settled
The loss, combined with results around the league, officially eliminated Cincinnati from postseason contention, and the Dodgers celebrated a record-tying 14th straight playoff berth on the Reds' field.
Watching another organization treat a clinch like a routine road stop showed exactly how far Cincinnati still has to climb.
The one real roar of the night came in the ninth, when shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit his 27th home run of the season, a blast measured at 457 feet that ranks among the longest of his career.
De La Cruz keeps producing while the team around him fades, which is why questions about the shortstop's long-term future keep growing in Cincinnati.
What Is Left to Play For
Twelve games remain, starting with three more against the Dodgers this week before the Cubs arrive Friday, and the only real stakes now are individual ones.
De La Cruz is finishing a career-best power season, first baseman Sal Stewart made the All-Star team as a rookie, and Lodolo has two or three starts left to show the walk problem is fixable, because he is a different pitcher when he throws strikes.
The people running the team will be judged on what comes next too, since the front office is expected back in 2027 and owes this fan base a winter that makes September baseball mean something again.
Nothing left on the schedule moves the standings, and a strong finish would still make next season a lot easier to believe in.
