Postgame Takeaways: Cincinnati Reds Drop Series to Washington Nationals

The Cincinnati Reds fell 5-4 to the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

Here are our postgame takeaways:

Nick Lodolo's Solid Outing

Lodolo gave up a two-run home run in the first inning but settled in to have a nice outing. He left the game in the seventh with a runner on first that eventually came around to score.

Lodolo pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up four runs on six hits. He struck out eight and only walked one. The Reds have now lost three of the last four games Lodolo has started.

Bats Went Silent Late

The offense came out and scored four runs in the first three innings. In the first inning, Spencer Steer had an RBI single and Austin Slater hit a sacrifice fly to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.

After a Nationals home run in the bottom half to tie the game at two, the Reds took the lead again in the second when Elly De La Cruz doubled home Jonathan India.

Tyler Stephenson hit his fifth home run in his last eight games in the third inning to give the Reds a 4-2 advantage.

The Reds only had three hits from that point on and did not score again.

Bullpen Struggles

Fernando Cruz entered with a 4-3 Reds lead and a man on first. After a stolen base and a Lane Thomas double, the game was tied at four.

Sam Moll got out of a jam in the seventh to keep it tied, but Justin Wilson pitched the eighth and gave up two hits and the go-ahead run on a Jacob Young single.

Up Next

The Reds and Nationals will play the series finale at 1:35 ET on Sunday afternoon.

News and Notes

Elly De La Cruz extended his hit streak to eight games.
Santiago Espinal had two hits and extended his hit streak to seven games.
The Reds are now 8-19 in one-run games.

Make sure you bookmark Cincinnati Reds Talk for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and daily coverage of the Cincinnati Reds!