The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game series sweep of the Reds 5-1 in a game heard late last night on WRBI. The loss in LA ends the Reds streak of 43 series without being swept dating back to the final games of last season. Nick Lodolo made his return from the injured list and retired the first nine batters he faced. The Reds led 1-0 on a 3rd inning home run by Noelvi Marte before the Dodgers erupted for four runs in the fourth. Lodolo pitched 4 2/3 innings with four runs, five hits and one walk allowed while striking out six but was pinned with the loss. Shohei Ohtani fanned a season-high nine batters while giving up two hits, two walks and a run in 5 innings of work. The Reds struck out a franchise-record 19 times. Cincinnati is now 4 1/2 games behind New York for the final National League Wild Card spot after the Mets completed a series sweep of Philadelphia earlier in the evening. The Reds have the day off before returning to Great American Ball Park tomorrow night for the start of a three-game weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Before last night’s game, the Reds placed pitcher Graham Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with a right forearm strain.
The Cincinnati Bengals have signed free agent veteran guard Dalton Risner, a 2019 second-round draft pick from Kansas State who has 81 starts with Denver and Minnesota, along with one in the postseason. The 30-year-old Risner started the last eight games of 2024 after suffering a back injury in training camp. On Wednesday, injured backup left tackle Cordell Volson cleared waivers and reverted to the team’s Reserve/Injured list. He’s expected to miss the 2025 season with a shoulder injury.
The Bengals also signed quarterback Brett Rypien to the practice squad. Rypien, a sixth-year player out of Boise State, originally was a college free agent signee of Denver in 2019. He has played in 10 career games with four starts for the Broncos (2020-22) and L.A. Rams (’23). He completed 98 of 168 passes for 950 yards and four TDs with nine INTs. Rypien also spent time on Seattle’s practice squad and the N.Y. Jets’ active roster during the 2023 season, then spent the entire ’24 campaign on Minnesota’s practice squad. He’s the nephew of Super Bowl winning quarterback Mark Rypien.
