The Cincinnati Reds were probably hoping to ease Nick Lodolo back into action after the left-hander missed the start of the season with a blister on his left index finger.

Instead, Lodolo will be asked to help snap Cincinnati’s seven-game losing streak when he takes the mound against the visiting Houston Astros on Friday.

The Reds are limping into the three-game series after being swept in four games by the Chicago Cubs. Cincinnati has lost eight of its past nine games to fall into last place in the National League Central.

“It’s a long season, and I know a lot of people say that,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “And sometimes when things aren’t going well, it seems like nothing goes well during those stretches. But we’ve got to just regroup. We’ve just got to continue to battle and do what we do.”

Houston had an off day on Thursday after losing two of three at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds are hoping Lodolo can provide a boost to an injury-plagued rotation. Rhett Lowder exited Cincinnati’s 8-3 loss on Thursday due to right shoulder discomfort, and he could join Hunter Greene (bone chips in right elbow) and Brandon Williamson (left shoulder fatigue) on the injured list.

Lodolo, 28, is making his season debut after going 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA last season in 29 games (28 starts). He is making his first career appearance against Houston.

“I’m really excited,” Lodolo said. “I’ve just been kind of sitting here, trying to truck along slowly. I’m excited to get back in, get out there and compete and just be a part of it with the boys.”

The Astros will counter with right-hander Mike Burrows (1-4, 5.97 ERA), who allowed three runs over six innings in a 3-1 road loss to the Boston Red Sox on May 1.

Burrows, 26, has given up three runs or fewer in four of his first seven outings, but the Astros have gone 1-6 in his starts.

“It’s a humbling game,” Burrows said. “You can do everything right and still, stuff happens.”

Burrows is set to make his second career start against Cincinnati. He allowed four runs over five innings as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a no-decision vs. the Reds on Aug. 10, 2025.

The Astros are still processing the news that infielder Carlos Correa will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his left ankle. He sustained the injury in the batting cage on Tuesday.

“Pretty devastating,” Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said. “Such a big part of our clubhouse, team leader, such a great player. All the stuff he went through early in his career with the other ankle and just the way he’s been able to continue to fight back and these last few years really post and be healthy — he’s a special, special talent, and I feel awful for him.”

Isaac Paredes will receive regular playing time at third base with Correa sidelined, and shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is set to rejoin the lineup next week.

Paredes has hit safely in 13 of his past 16 games dating back to April 19, a span in which he is batting .345 (20-for-58) with three homers and nine RBIs. He has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games.

–Field Level Media

Hoping to prolong their newfound success under a fresh regime, the Philadelphia Phillies continue a six-game homestand on Friday with the series opener against the Colorado Rockies.

Despite a 12-1 loss to the Athletics on Thursday, the Phillies are 8-2 since firing manager Rob Thomson and promoting Don Mattingly to interim skipper. Philadelphia is vying to take advantage of a stretch that will see it play opponents with a losing record in four out of five series.

Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo (3-3, 5.09 ERA) gets the start on Friday, looking to continue a stretch of impressive outings. Following a slow start to the year, Luzardo has allowed just three runs total across his past three starts.

On Sunday, he picked up his second straight win, throwing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball and striking out 10 in a 7-2 road victory over the Miami Marlins.

“(Luzardo) has been really good,” Mattingly said. “He hasn’t walked anybody in a couple games. He’s been in the strike zone, on the attack. … I didn’t see him (as) being bad early in the year. I just felt like there were some innings that got away. It was kind of the way everything was going for us early.”

Luzardo is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Rockies. On April 4, he allowed one run across 6 2/3 frames and fanned a season-high 11 in a 2-1 win at Denver.

The Rockies will try to use a thrilling win to build momentum after a woeful start to the month of May. Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak by scoring the last six runs of a 6-2 victory over the visiting New York Mets on Thursday.

Jake McCarthy enters the road trip among the club’s hottest hitters. He belted two home runs and drove in seven runs across the past two games — including a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning on Thursday.

“He’s been swinging the bat really well as of late,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said of McCarthy. “… Huge, huge homer to lift the boys after losing six in a row. You can’t put words together to show how big that was. Good for Jake. Happy for him.”

Colorado will go with Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.38 ERA) in the series opener, giving him just his second start of the season after he primarily has appeared behind openers. Dollander, 24, went 5 1/3 frames on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits in a 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

“I thought he was just a little behind all day,” Schaeffer said of Dollander following that outing. “I thought it was unusual, had some walks (a season-high three). The breaking ball, off-speed stuff, not enough strikes out of those.”

Dollander faced Philadelphia for the first time in his young career on April 4, taking the loss after allowing a one run in 4 1/3 innings in the 2-1 defeat to Luzardo and company.

–Field Level Media

The Athletics have something to build on as they go into the next phase of their road trip.

They will meet the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

The A’s have won only two of their last six games, but they salvaged the finale of a three-game series in Philadelphia on Thursday with a 12-1 victory. They hammered four home runs, including the 11th of the season from Shea Langeliers, who was reinstated from the paternity list earlier in the day.

“Pretty remarkable night for him to come back and just jump right back in to where he left off really,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “The at-bats were great. Obviously, he has been a big part of our offense.”

The Orioles are returning from a 2-5 road trip, which ended with a 4-3 loss at Miami on Thursday when the Marlins scored the winning run with two outs in the ninth.

In Baltimore’s last six defeats, the Orioles averaged three runs per game.

“Hitting is hard,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Big-league pitching is extremely tough every single night, and our guys have the ability to not give in. Some nights you string hits together, some nights you don’t.”

The Orioles will send right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-4, 5.03 ERA) to the mound on Friday. He has gone 0-2 across his past four starts, including giving up two homers and five runs in four innings during a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday.

In his lone previous matchup vs. the A’s, he got a win after striking out eight in six scoreless innings back in 2023.

Left-hander Jacob Lopez (2-2, 6.60 ERA) will get the call for the Athletics. He was charged with six runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 14-6 defeat against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. He has worked at least five innings in each of his past four starts.

Lopez has faced Baltimore just once, pitching four innings and yielding only one run, which was unearned, during a no-decision in a home game last June.

The Orioles hope the return home can spark a offensive resurgence for shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who remains in the leadoff spot despite a .201 batting average. Albernaz continues to express confidence that Henderson isn’t far from breaking out.

“With Gunnar, he’s trying to do too much,” Albernaz said. “When he’s trying to do too much, it’s kind of overcompensating with his body a little bit. Now he has to make his decision earlier (at the plate). I firmly believe here in the next few more games he’s going to be back to himself.”

Albernaz gave Adley Rutschman the night off Thursday in an effort to keep the catcher fresh. Rutschman spent time on the injured list last month due to an ankle ailment, so the coaching staff remains cognizant of his workload.

“He has played a lot,” Albernaz said, “so recover and be ready to go when we get back home. That’s always the balance of this schedule, playing 162 games, picking the spots where guys get their days (off). … We just want to be smart about it. This is just me being overly cautious.”

The Orioles are finding ways to mix up their outfield combinations. Much of that involves Colton Cowser because of his versatility.

“We’re definitely excited about his ability to play elite defense at all three (spots in the outfield),” Albernaz said.

–Field Level Media