Reds’ hopes get a boost by Lodolo’s solid return

CHICAGO – So this is what the Cincinnati Reds making the playoffs last year would have looked like.

When left-hander Nick Lodolo finally made his long-awaited return to the mound Saturday after nearly a year away because of injury, he did a lot more than pick up where he left off — against the same team he finished with in 2023, no less.

He also delivered a loud, vivid demonstration of what the Reds were missing in September during a surprising pennant drive that fell two wins short of the playoffs — if not why his return now might amount to the biggest roster “acquisition” of this playoff-minded season for the team.

Just how much better are the Reds today if Lodolo look the rest of the season even close to what he looked like Saturday in a 10-strikeout, 5-0 victory over the White Sox that didn’t include a hit off him until an infield single up the middle in the sixth?

“A lot,” said catcher Luke Maile, who barely had to move his mitt for 91 pitches while Lodolo dotted fastballs and literally unhittable breaking balls. “He’s that type of pitcher.

“I think he’s going to cover a lot of innings, no matter what. But with the way he can punch guys out and eliminate the weird stuff that sometimes happens when you’re more of a contact-based guy — it’s important to have both in your rotation and your staff, but having that guy that just wipes hitters out and makes Ks happen, obviously it’s super helpful.”

Helpful? The Reds were down to emergency callups from Double-a by September last year, trying to fight for the National League’s last playoff spot with a rotation crushed by injuries and underperformance.

By now almost everyone in Cincinnati who knows what a baseball is knows the difference it might have made if Lodolo had been able to come back from the stress fracture in his leg in September instead of experiencing that final setback in the rehab start that would be the last time he pitched in 2023.

Lodolo, whose next start would come next weekend at home against the Los Angeles Angels, didn’t need all 343 days between big-league starts to know what his return would mean for him — and his team.

“It could mean a lot. If I’m going out there and doing everything I possibly can to put us in the best position to win, that’s my job,” he said. “I feel like I’m doing that. I am going to reap the benefits of all the things I am doing to put me in the best spot.”