GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Nick Lodolo was not going to pretend his start against the Guardians on Sunday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark was business as usual.

“You know,” he said, “it’s been a minute.”

Actually, it had been 309 days since Lodolo last pitched for the Reds in the Majors. The stress fracture in his left tibia had robbed him of all but seven starts in what the Reds had hoped would be a breakout 2023 season after his strong rookie campaign in 2022.

But to watch Lodolo mow through the Guards’ lineup in the Reds’ 5-3 win, you would not know what he’s been through. It was six up, six down, with a strikeout.

“I felt good,” Lodolo said. “The ball was coming out good. I was happy, I was anxious. My arm felt good, no question about that. I was happy with it. I threw a lot of strikes. That was the main thing.”

Lodolo seemed to be revved up. The in-stadium scoreboard had him hitting as high as 96 mph with his fastball, a notable increase from his 93.2 mph average last year prior to the injury.

Though Lodolo’s slow progression this spring won’t have him ready for the first turn through the rotation in the regular season, he is on schedule to join the Reds very soon thereafter. Cincinnati made investments in veterans Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez to support the rotation, but the biggest upside still exists in Lodolo and Hunter Greene shaking off last year’s injury issues and continuing their upward trajectory.

“I’m excited for it,” Lodolo said of the deepened rotation. “It’s definitely going to help us as a team. It’s going to take everybody. Even guys that don’t make the squad out of camp are going to play a part. We saw it last year and, even with the additions, guys are going to get called upon. I’m excited for it.”

The real March Madness

Now for the Reds news you’ve been waiting for: The result of the second annual 3-Point Challenge.

Last year’s winner of this rousing rite of spring at the back of the Reds’ training facility was Wil Myers, who wound up being designated for assignment midseason. With an opening for someone new to take the title, the Reds held preliminary rounds over the last several days, all leading to Sunday morning’s final field of nine (Bo Thompson, the Reds’ director of integrated baseball information and video, had earned the top seed and first-round bye a year after finishing second to Myers).

The well-attended, spirited showdown came down to Thompson, known affectionately as “The Slim Reaper,” and Single-A Dayton manager Vince Harrison, brother of veteran infielder and non-roster invitee Josh Harrison.

The elder Harrison had dispatched his younger bro in an emotional opening round, and he took down Thompson in electric fashion, with a buzzer-beating “money ball” shot worth two points, just as time expired. Harrison had redeemed his fellow uniformed personnel by preventing a staffer from taking the title.

“Once you go Harrison,” said Vince Harrison, “there’s no comparison.”

In other important news, Minor League catcher Michael Trautwein won the annual “Reds Got Talent” show with a guitar, harmonica and singing performance.

Elly De La 2’s?

Though we ought to know not to read much, if anything, into Spring Training lineups, it’s nevertheless notable that Elly De La Cruz has consistently been cast in the two-hole this spring -- including in Sunday’s game, when he ripped a double, swiped third and scored in the first inning.

“It’s obvious with his talent and his speed,” manager David Bell said of De La Cruz. “I’d like him to hit toward the top of the order, if possible. I won’t force it. He’s the one I’ve thought most about [for the two-hole].”

Gomes sighting

It was a familiar face in an unfamiliar role, as former Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes was coaching first base during Sunday’s game.

Gomes, who played for the Reds from 2009-11 amid a 13-year career in the bigs, has been in camp as a special guest the last few days.

“A lof a lot of knowledge a lot of experience and a lot of energy,” Bell said of Gomes. “He definitely has a lot of thoughts that are really well thought out because of his experiences in the game. He cares a lot about whatever he does. He's pretty invested in our team. It doesn't always work like that when you have somebody in for a week or 10 days, but he's all-in.”