A pair of teams that will not be competing in the playoffs this year will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon when the Nationals host the Reds. Cincinnati got off to a good start in the series when it snapped a four-game losing streak in a 7-3 win on Friday night. This story was published prior to Saturday night’s contest, which was the second game of the series.
Cincinnati has really only had one decent stretch this season, which came immediately following the All-Star break. The Reds went 10-6 in their first 16 games to open the second half of the season, but they have fallen back to their losing ways since then. They have won just five games since Aug. 7, and they were swept in a four-game series at Philadelphia earlier this week. Cincinnati was able to bounce back with Friday’s 7-3 win, but it is still sitting in the cellar of the National League. The Reds are ahead of only Pittsburgh and Washington in the NL standings.
Season-high seven innings for Mike Minor! ?? pic.twitter.com/ayL34xXzb2
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 27, 2022
They have been a decent offensive team this season, though, ranked No. 18 in batting average (.240). Shortstop Kyle Farmer has been a rare bright spot for the Reds in 2022, racking up 102 hits at a .264 clip. Veteran first baseman Joey Votto went on the season-ending injury list earlier this month (rotator cuff). Left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo is in line to start for Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon. He allowed four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batter across 5.1 innings against Philadelphia on Tuesday. Lodolo retired the first 11 batters that he faced before eventually falling apart in the sixth inning. The rookie has hit a batter in four straight starts and 11 times in 12 total starts in the big leagues—he brings a 4.35 ERA and 1.52 WHIP into this outing.