Here's Why No One Should Panic About Reds' Placing Nick Lodolo on Injured List
The Reds placed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo hit the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to a blister on his left finger.
Lodolo has been their best starter so far this season, but the Reds can let him get healthy because they have something most teams dream of: starting pitching depth.
The emergence of Carson Spiers allows them to play the load management game with Lodolo.
What is beneath the headline is that this is more strategic than reactionary. Sure, the Reds want Lodolo to be 100% healthy for his next start, but he has also never thrown more than 103 1/3 innings in the major leagues, in any one season.
Should the Reds get where they want to go, and they’re only 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, they will need Lodolo. If he is at 150 innings in September, though, then he may not be available for any sort of playoff run. Cutting innings now, helps out later.
You can’t do that unless you feel confident in another pitcher to replace him. With the way his next start lines up, the Reds will be able to call up Graham Ashcraft too. The only reason the Reds can feel comfortable doing that though, is because of Spiers.
Spiers has shown the ability to be relied on every fifth day. His first two starts have both come against the Pittsburgh Pirates, so there is a bit of pause to be had before saying he is bonafide starter, but he has been efficient and bounced back after giving up a few hits.
Spiers has pitched six innings in each of his two starts, issuing one walk in each contest. He allowed three runs in the first inning of his first start, but bounced back and made it through six innings, allowing just one more run. He had a quality start in his most recent outing, just the 26th by a Reds starter this year.
With Spiers pitching the way he is right now, the Reds can afford to give Lodolo an extended rest that will ultimately amount to two starts, as David Bell Said before the game against the Pirates on Tuesday. During that time, the Reds will call up Ashcraft to replace him. Then, Lodolo can rejoin the team when he's fully healthy, rested, and on track to provide the Reds with phenomenal pitching in a key stretch later this season.
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JEFF CARR
Jeff has hosted the only daily podcast covering the Cincinnati Reds since 2018. He’s been a life long fan of the Reds. He was at Clinchmas and the 2015 Home Run Derby. He is also the channel manager that supports all MLB podcasts on the Locked On Podcast Network. Jeff has extensive media experience as he covered college basketball and volleyball for Tennessee State and college softball for Mercer University.