Nats shut out by Lodolo in loss to Reds (updated)

In order for the Nationals to accomplish something they hadn’t in two months, they would need to build on the offensive outputs they posted in each of the first two games against the Reds.

They claimed victories in those outings in very different ways, setting up an opportunity for their first three-game sweep since mid-May against the Orioles in Baltimore. On Monday, they jumped out to a big early lead and held on late. On Tuesday, they stayed patient against a tough starter, who they eventually got to the second time through the order, and relied on the bullpen.

Unfortunately, the Nats were victims of another feat, something that has happened to them more recently than their own sweep.

Neither version of the offense showed up this afternoon, as the Nats were shut out by Nick Lodolo in a 5-0 loss in front of 21,567 fans on camp day at Nationals Park.

Lodolo became the third pitcher to toss a complete-game shutout against the Nationals this season, joining Erick Fedde (who was coincidentally designated for assignment by the Cardinals today after going 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA) on May 9 and David Peterson with the Mets on June 11.

“He was nasty," interim manger Miguel Cairo said of Lodolo after the game. "You don't want to give credit to another team's pitchers, but he mixed it up. A good curveball, a good changeup, a good fastball. He kept us out of balance today. So sometimes you just gotta move on. But he pitched well. He pitched really good.”

The Nats had trouble picking up the southpaw all afternoon, with Lodolo mixing his four-pitch arsenal well. The only hits were James Wood’s single in the first (after which he was caught stealing), Brady House’s single in the second, Amed Rosario’s single in the fourth and Luis García Jr.’s double in the eighth.

García was the only one to make it past first base, with the Nats going 0-for-2 in the only at-bats they took with runners in scoring position.

Lodolo finished the game with just four hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 105 pitches, 76 strikes, and got 14 swings-and-misses.

“He was throwing strikes," Cairo said. "It was not in the middle. So he pitched good. There's nothing to say about that. He just dominated today.”

This comes after the Nats knocked Lodolo around for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5 ⅓ innings on May 3 in Cincinnati.

“I think everyone that hit well the first game probably has a good confidence going into the game," said Jacob Young. "But he's been pitching well as of late. So obviously, they make adjustments to you and you get to make them back. So he won today. But it was good series win, honestly. Good to kind of get back on track and bring this momentum into a road series.”

Michael Soroka did just about all the Nats could ask of him on the mound. Although he still struggled to complete six frames, he tossed 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball to keep his team within striking distance.

The Reds did not see Soroka well, collecting only two hits and striking out six times against the veteran right-hander, whose velocity was down in the low 90s. All their damage against him came via his own faults.

“I think just playing with what we had," Soroka said. "Obviously, velocity was down a little bit again and I would like to have that back. But you gotta make do with what you have. And I thought we did that. We executed when we needed to behind in counts. Kind of just kept guys in between. I wish I could have kept it going a little longer, but, yeah, I kept the team in it and gave them a chance.”

Trouble started brewing in the fourth, when Soroka issued a walk and hit a batter with two outs. But he escaped the early jam with a flyout. He couldn’t quite do that in the fifth.

After surrendering a leadoff walk to Elly De La Cruz, who then stole second base, Soroka gave up an RBI single to Jake Fraley, giving the Reds a 1-0 lead. He also hit his second batter to put two runners on with only one out, but induced two flyouts to end the threat.

But Soroka put himself in a similar situation in the sixth by walking Austin Hays with one out and plunking Noelvi Marte for the second time with two outs. That forced Cairo to turn to his bullpen and bring on Cole Henry, who got the final out on three pitches.

“He pitched really well," Cairo said of his starter. "He just pitched against Lodolo today, and he was nasty. But he pitched well. It's good to see him being consistent and getting people out.”

Soroka finished his 5 ⅔ innings with just two hits, one run, three walks, three hit batters and six strikeouts on 88 pitches, 50 for strikes. He now has a 4.85 ERA on the season, a 4.21 ERA over his last nine starts and a 2.45 ERA over his last three. He was good enough to keep the Nats in the game, just not good enough to beat Lodolo.

“He looked great. He did a great job," Soroka said of his counterpart. "Obviously, it was an impressive outing. And yeah, it's almost easier to pitch in those games because you're never sitting for too long. You can kind of get in a rhythm and get going. Obviously, you'd love for runs to be on the board, but at the same time, it's not the worst thing to kind of keep things going. Yeah, he did a great job today.”

And with the lack of offense, the two runs Jackson Rutledge surrendered in the eighth proved too much to overcome. The right-hander gave up three straight hits and a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-0 Reds lead in the eighth. You could have almost added a two-run homer to that line, but Young made an unbelievable catch to bring the fly ball from Will Benson back from over the center field wall.

“You're still in the ball game there," Young said. "It's 3-0. It's late in the game. It felt like it kept us in the game. It gives us a chance. A couple of guys on, a bloop and a blast. You never know there. So it was just kind of an exciting moment to bring some energy and try to get us back in that game.”

The Reds then scored two runs (one unearned) off Andry Lara in the ninth to eliminate any possibility of some late-game magic.

But a Catch of the Year candidate cannot score runs, and so it was the Nats were shut out for the eighth time this season.

“Sometimes you just gotta take it and move on," the interim skipper said. "Enjoy the day off tomorrow and go back against the Twins.”

* After the game, the Nats announced they have returned Orlando Ribalta from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 15-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. The right-hander has been out since April with a right biceps strain.