CINCINNATI -- Even at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, Reds rookie and top prospect Nick Lodolo didn't get top billing among starting pitchers returning from the injured list. That status was reserved for his opposition, Mets co-ace and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.

Lodolo more than held his own during Cincinnati's 1-0 win, with eight strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since April 24 and the fourth of his brief big league career.

"Overall, I was very happy with how I threw the ball," the 24-year-old Lodolo said.

Rebounding from a back injury that sidelined him for more than two months, the left-handed Lodolo allowed three hits, three walks and a hit batter while throwing 89 pitches.

“That’s unbelievable stuff, man," said Reds first baseman Mike Moustakas, who hit the walk-off sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth. "I was on the first-base side, so I didn’t get to see everything, how it was moving. But from the pop of the glove to the way those guys were swinging at some of that stuff, it looked just incredibly difficult to hit."

Mixing sinkers and curveballs with some occasional changeups, Lodolo -- ranked as the No. 29 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline -- got Mets hitters to whiff on 15 of their 34 swings (44 percent) -- occasionally awkwardly.

“The ball seemed like it was jumping out of my hand pretty good," Lodolo said. "I tried to stay within myself and keep going. It’s like you’re gathering the information in the at-bat of what you see. At some point, you’re like, ‘All right, he really didn’t like that, so maybe we’ll go back to it,’ either immediately or it’s in your back pocket, so maybe later in the at-bat when you really need it to go to it.”

In the first inning, Lodolo got first batter Brandon Nimmo to stare at a 96 mph sinker for strike three on the inside corner and went on to strike out the side -- with one walk included.

Lodolo gave up a pair of hits in the second inning and notched two more strikeouts in the third. With two outs in the fourth, he hit a batter and walked another but got J.D. Davis to pop out to foul territory.

"About midway through the fourth, I got a little tired," Lodolo said. "I kind of felt like I was losing it a little bit. I just regathered and got out of the inning. I was happy with that.”

Following a two-out walk to Starling Marte in the fifth, Lodolo had already reached his pitch limit.

"He was beyond it really," Reds manager David Bell said. "He was pitching great, but at the same time he was coming back from an injury. That was by far the most pitches he has thrown to this point. It was a pretty easy decision even though I wanted him to stay out there."

Four Reds relievers helped finish the combined shutout. Meanwhile, Scherzer struck out 11 with two hits allowed over six innings after he missed seven weeks with an oblique strain.

While the present has given the 28-52 Reds little to smile about in 2022, they have optimism about the future of a rotation that is expected to include Lodolo, Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft. The latter two rookies have enjoyed some brilliant outings but have also taken their lumps, too.

Greene has a 3-10 record and 6.01 ERA in 16 starts. Ashcraft is 4-2 with a 4.53 ERA in eight starts and is coming off giving up seven runs in 2 1/3 innings vs. the Cubs on Thursday.

The Reds would like to win more games, but it's clear that development is the driving force for all three rookie starters.

"I think the first thing that comes to mind is almost anything and everything they experience at this level, as long as they're staying on the mound, it's a good thing," Bell said. "Because it's just more experience that they can draw from for the rest of their career."

At the same time, the club is mindful that getting hit hard can be taxing on young pitchers and keeping an eye on frustration levels is important.

"But as long as they're processing all that the right way and over time it's pushing them forward even though there's ups and downs then it's a good, good experience," Bell said. "And I would say all three of those guys [are] different, but all three of those guys need to be here right now continuing to pitch."