INSTANT REACTION: Nick Lodolo Struggles, Reds Fall to Guardians 11-2

CINCINNATI -- The Reds entered Wednesday with an opportunity to complete a season sweep of the Cleveland Guardians. Unfortunately, they were clobbered 11-2 by the Guardians Wednesday afternoon.

Cincinnati still sits one game over .500 at 35-34, and they still finish the season 5-1 against the reigning American League Central champions including winning the Ohio Cup for the first time since 2014.

It was a rough outing for Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, and the Reds lineup was also held in check by Guardians left-hander Logan Allen on Wednesday.

Let's look at the key takeaways from Wednesday afternoon's 11-2 loss to the Guardians.

Nick Lodolo gets roughed up

Lodolo didn't even make it out of the fourth inning on Wednesday afternoon, giving up six runs on five hits and walking two batters in just 3 1/3 innings.

The biggest damage came in the bottom of the third inning when Carlos Santana hit a grand slam that extended the Guardians lead from 1-0 to 5-0.

Cincinnati's left-hander threw 76 pitches in his 3 1/3 innings with 46 for strikes. Lodolo now sits at 4-5 with an ERA of 3.76.

Reds bats kept at bay

For the second straight game, Guardians pitching kept the Reds' run production at a minimum. Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen allowed just two runs on four hits through six innings. He struck out six Reds hitters and walked just one.

Cleveland's bullpen allowed just one hit through the final three innings.

Elly De La Cruz's towering shot

There was a bright spot for the Reds offense on Wednesday, and that was De La Cruz's towering 441-foot home run to left field in the fourth inning.

It was a shot that looked like it was over halfway up the seats in left field, which is a tough place to get to considering there is a 19-foot wall below the seats in left field.

Notes and observations

• The Reds had just five chances with runners in scoring positon Wednesday, and they did not capitalize on any of them.
• Cleveland was 5-10 with runners in scoring position.
• Cincinnati's bullpen allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

On deck

At 35-34, the Reds now head to Detroit to take on the Tigers for a three-game series starting on Friday.

The Tigers are currently 44-24, building off a surprise Postseason appearance in the American League Division Series in 2024 where the took the Guardians to a full five games. They play in Baltimore the next two nights before flying back to the Motor City to take on the Reds.

Nick Martinez (4-6, 3.70 ERA) will get the ball Friday for the Reds, and he's coming off a stellar performance in a win over Arizona last Saturday. Brady Singer (6-4, 4.59 ERA) and Wade Miley (1-0, 9.00 ERA) will follow on Saturday and Sunday for the Reds.

First pitch Friday is at 7:10 E.T., Saturday's first pitch will be at 1:10 E.T. and Sunday's will be at 12:05 E.T. Friday's and Saturday's games are on FanDuel Sports Network while Sunday's will be on the RoKu Channel.