Joel Kuhnel was part of a Reds day that ended with Nick Lodolo leaving after four shutout innings because of a left wrist contusion. The Cincinnati Reds still fell 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 23, and the injury added another problem to a series already tilting away from Cincinnati.
Nick Lodolo and the fourth inning
Lodolo said Jackson Chourio’s grounder hit him in the wrist in the fourth inning, and the left-hander described the aftermath bluntly: “My hand just went totally numb”. He added, “I was thinking about going to pick up the ball and I couldn’t feel my hand. Yeah, I’ve never been hit like that in the wrist.”
He still worked through four shutout innings before leaving, which gave the Reds a chance to stay in a game their bats could not support. Brandon Sproat answered with six shutout innings for the Brewers, and that was enough to keep Cincinnati off the board.
Terry Francona on the wrist
Terry Francona said Lodolo was OK if the swelling stayed down and X-rays did not show a worse injury the next day. He also said, “As long as they can keep the swelling out of there and it doesn't show up tomorrow in worse shape, he should be OK for his next start. We'll certainly keep our eyes on it.”
That is the practical issue for the Reds. They already needed length from the rotation, and losing a starter in the middle of a series narrows the margin even more. Francona’s language pointed to caution, but it also left open a path for Lodolo to stay on schedule if the wrist settles.
Reds offense stays cold
The injury came against the backdrop of a lineup that had done little against Milwaukee. Through two games in the series, the Reds were 4-for-59 with no walks and 27 strikeouts, and they had only one hit through five innings before Jose Trevino singled to lead off the sixth.
Elly De La Cruz returned after three weeks on the injured list and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Julian Garcia made his MLB debut, struck out three batters over 1 2/3 innings, walked two, and took the loss in his big-league premiere. The Reds were 2-13 against NL Central opponents and 35-26 against the rest of baseball entering the series, and this night fit the split: better against most of the league, but overwhelmed when Milwaukee controlled the pace.
For Cincinnati, the immediate task is simple. Protect the wrist, watch the swelling, and see whether Lodolo can take his next turn without the issue changing the rotation picture again.
