The Reds finally returned home after a brutal 0-7 road trip, but the losing streak showed no signs of stopping. Cincinnati dropped its eighth straight game in the series opener against the sub-.500 Houston Astros, a blowout that dampened what should have been a bright spot: the long-awaited 2026 debut of left-hander Nick Lodolo.

Manager Terry Francona doesn't mince words when it comes to his starter. "He's one of the better pitchers in the game," Francona said, and the Reds have certainly missed him. Lodolo was coming off a career-high 156 2/3 innings in 2025 with two complete games, and the club had big plans for him at the start of 2026, especially with ace Hunter Greene recovering from March surgery.

But Lodolo's season got derailed before it even began. On the day the Reds broke camp in Goodyear, Arizona, unseasonably extreme heat caused a blister that landed him on the injured list. His first rehab attempt was cut short when the blister returned. This time, however, his outings with High-A Dayton and Triple-A Louisville went smoothly, and the blister stayed away.

That set the stage for his return on May 8. Lodolo worked 5 1/3 innings on 78 pitches, showing flashes of the pitcher who allowed 22 home runs during his breakout 2025 campaign. But Houston's bats were ready. In the second inning, Zach Dezenzo crushed a 95.3 mph sinker for a two-run homer after Brice Matthews had tripled. Then, in the sixth, Yordan Alvarez hammered a 94.6 mph fastball 407 feet for another two-run shot, making it 4-0. Isaac Paredes followed with a double, and Francona came out to end Lodolo's night.

Final line: 53 strikes, 78 pitches, five hits, four earned runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Not the comeback story the Reds were hoping for, but with Lodolo back in the rotation, there's hope that the losing streak won't last much longer. "It'll be good," Francona said, "and it'll be even better as we get him into the routine."