Nick Lodolo’s injury forces the Reds to name a surprise starter in the series opener against the Dodgers

Nick Lodolo was supposed to get the ball for the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night, but that honor will instead fall to another left-handed pitcher – Brent Suter. The Harvard graduate will start Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and eventually give way to Nick Martinez.

Lodolo will only be out for a few weeks (hopefully) after suffering a left groin strain. It’s the second time the Reds starter has landed on IL already this season, having missed most of 2023 with a foot injury.

The Reds recalled Sam Moll on Wednesday to help fill the roster void, and with Martinez pitching on Sunday, it looks like manager David Bell will rely heavily on a slew of relievers against LA on Thursday night .

Suter is the perfect pitcher to start the game against the Dodgers’ strong lineup. LA usually deploys the likes of Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy at the top of the batting order. All three players bat from the left side, so having a southpaw like Suter on the bump could help neutralize that trio’s effectiveness the first time through the batting order.

Suter has pitched well against lefties this season. In 2024, the veteran reliever has allowed left-handed hitters to hit just .195, as opposed to the .286 batting average that right-handed hitters have posted when facing Suter this season. Suter is no stranger to starting games and has 41 such appearances during his major league career.

Frankly, it’s not the pitching that the Reds fanbase should be concerned with — although facing the gauntlet that is Freeman, Ohtani and Mookie Betts is no walk in the park. But it’s been the Reds’ bats that have let the team down lately, and Cincinnati’s lineup needs to show up in Hollywood tonight if they have any chance of competing against the presumptive National League favorites.

Suter will likely get one or two innings of work and then hand the reins to Martinez. Fernando Cruz was the only reliever David Bell used against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, so the rest of the relief corps should be relatively well rested. Can the Reds get a W at Dodger Stadium tonight? The odds would seem to be stacked against them, but stranger things have happened.

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