Cincinnati Reds survive 2nd straight 'bullpen game' to beat Cubs; now cross fingers
Thanks a lot, NASCAR. And Rob Manfred. And Mother Nature.
The Reds' taxed bullpen earned a high-leverage 3-2 victory over the wild-card-leading Chicago Cubs in the opener of a big three-game series.
But the privilege of playing in MLB's Speedway Classic marketing gimmick-turned-weather crapshow over the weekend conspired with starter Nick Lodolo's finger blister Monday to require 15 1/3 innings of work from relievers over a two-day period.
That's not optimal for a team that opened the week four games out of playoff position with 50 to play and realistic hopes of making a run after adding three players at the trade deadline.
Nick Lodolo injury for Cincinnati Reds
Lodolo left the mound with two out in the second inning after retiring the first five batters he faced and throwing a first-pitch strike to Justin Turner.
Lodolo has been the staff workhorse this season, leading the Reds' staff in innings pitched with a career-high 129 2/3. The abbreviated start came just two nights after power-pitching rookie Chase Burns took the mound in the rain in Bristol, Tennessee, and struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning before the game was stopped and suspended into the next day, when the Reds lost to the Braves 4-2.
That's back-to-back "perfect" outings for Reds starters with nothing more than a split and without the chance to provide more than 2 2/3 combined innings.
Cincinnati Reds beat Chicago Cubs
The Reds led 1-0 when Lodolo departed. Nick Martinez took over and got Turner on a fly to right with his first pitch.
But Ian Happ's sharp single leading off the third was followed by a Dansby Swanson two-run, go-ahead homer.
The Reds tied it on Elly De La Cruz's run-scoring double in the sixth, Matt McLain scoring from first. And they took the lead in the seventh on a two-out rally, with Jake Fraley scoring from third on TJ Friedl's single parachuted to right-center.
The Reds aren't the only team in the series dealing with unexpected bullpen stress after Monday night. Cubs starter Michael Soroka, acquired from the Nationals at last week's trade deadline, lasted just two innings before "shoulder discomfort" forced him from the game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Nick Lodolo injury: Reds beat Cubs at Wrigley Field
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