Lowder strengthens case for '25 rotation with strong finish

CHICAGO -- Regardless of how he performed on Saturday vs. the Cubs, Reds rookie starting pitcher Rhett Lowder already made his case for next year. At minimum, it meant that an inside lane should be carved out for Lowder in the battle to make the 2025 rotation.

“I think he’s shown it’s a very good possibility that he could be on the staff next year," interim manager Freddie Benavides said before the game at Wrigley Field. "The way he’s gone about his business, his professionalism, his work, learning a lot from the guys here, he’s holding his own. The guy was just in college last year. He’s pitching at the Major League level and having some success."

Then, the 22-year-old Lowder went out and threw five scoreless innings while navigating some traffic on the bases during Cincinnati's 3-0 loss to the Cubs.

“I’m super ready," Lowder said of his 2025 rotation chances. "I’ve got a lot of work to do this offseason to get back to taking the stuff back up and getting ready for next year.”

Lowder gave up three hits and three walks with one strikeout while throwing 91 pitches.

Chicago scored all of its runs in the bottom of the eighth inning while sending nine men to bat against the bullpen trio of Buck Farmer, Justin Wilson and Alexis Díaz. It was the Reds' fifth straight loss, and they've scored only three runs during the streak.

In six starts since reaching the big leagues, Lowder went 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. That was after last year's No. 7 overall Draft pick made his pro debut this year at High-A Dayton before moving on to Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville for a combined 22 Minor League starts.

“I think it’s huge, just getting my feet wet and getting into some uncomfortable situations is the main thing I’m happy about and handling those," said Lowder, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Reds' No. 2 prospect and No. 32 overall. "Going forward, I will have days where I will struggle to find it a little bit, like today where I have to grind through it. Knowing I can handle it is good.”

Lowder's day hung in the balance during the bottom of the third inning. After a one-out single by Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki drew back-to-back two-out walks to load the bases.

With a flyout to left field by Michael Busch, Lowder escaped.

"He was on a pitch count, [and] we probably had to go get him," Benavides said. "I thought about going [out] a little bit earlier, but it’s a great opportunity for development for him to stay out there and get the guys out, even when they had the bases loaded. It was great to see him get out of that and give us five shutout innings.”

Once again, a brisk wind was blowing in to suppress the offense for both clubs. Like Nick Martinez, who worked a complete game in Friday's 1-0 Reds loss, Lowder wasn't afraid to pitch to contact.

"When you do get behind or in trouble, you kind of want to just get them to hit the ball into the air. It’s tough to get it out of this park today," Lowder said. “Obviously, I was watching yesterday and saw what [Martinez] did."

With a managerial search underway and next year's budget not clear, there's some question of how the Reds’ rotation might look in '25. Could there be payroll space to sign or acquire a veteran from another club? Last winter, Cincinnati signed Frankie Montas to a one-year, $16 million contract and Martinez got a two-year, $26 million deal to be a starter/reliever.

Montas was traded to the Brewers on July 30, and Martinez has the ability to opt out after the season. Another would-be starter in the mix, Brandon Williamson, will likely miss most or all of next season because of Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

All-Star Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, Lowder and Julian Aguiar are expected back. No. 15 prospect Connor Phillips, who endured a rough 2024 season while struggling with command at Triple-A Louisville, could also get a look.

"Definitely can compete with what we have in-house," Benavides said. "You’ve got five guys that can go out there and you compete. You’ve got the three -- Greene, Lodolo and Abbott -- you can put them up against anybody. Rhett comes in. I know we’ve had some injuries with a couple of guys recently. That hurt the depth a little bit. You’re always looking to improve."