Lowder puts bow on first full season with quality start

TORONTO -- Considering that he debuted for the Reds with six starts in 2024, people forget that Rhett Lowder still had rookie status in 2026. Manager Terry Francona has been quick to remind folks not only of that status, but that Lowder also missed all of 2025 with injuries.

This first full year was one uneven road for Lowder, pockmarked by rough starts, time on the injured list and a brief stint working out of the bullpen. But the right-hander made his final start one of his best of the season, with six scoreless innings during the Reds’ 5-1 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday at Rogers Centre.

“Definitely inconsistent," Lowder said of his season. "I know areas I need to improve on and I’m going to improve on them. It’s just good to put a full season together and know the areas I need to get better -- and I will.”

Lowder gave up three hits and two walks and struck out two batters while throwing 79 pitches (50 strikes). He ended with a 7-12 record and 5.74 ERA in 29 games -- including 26 starts and 133 1/3 innings.

"He has not commanded the ball like he can or will. And when he does, he’s going to be just fine," manager Terry Francona said.

A strong start prevented Lowder's September from being a complete downer. He entered 0-4 with a 12.33 ERA in his four previous starts, with only one going longer than four innings.

“It means a lot especially how the past couple of ones have been going," Lowder said. "Just take a little bit of positivity into the offseason. It’s not just one good one and you’re back, but it feels good.”

The way Lowder's day began portended a different outcome. First, he woke up with some muscle tightness in his back. In the game, he walked his first two batters on eight consecutive balls. A strikeout to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk grounding into a double play resulted in a scoreless first inning.

“Just going into it, I kind of just wanted to surrender myself to the results and just go out there and just pitch and try to make pitches," Lowder said. "Obviously, it didn’t start quite how I wanted. I kind of had to reset.”

After Brett Bateman's one-out double in the third inning, Lowder retired 11 of his final 12 batters.

“You’ve probably heard me say it [about] the opposing side, you let a guy off the hook and they kind of find their rhythm and he certainly did," Francona said. "That was a really good way for him to end.”

JJ Bleday gave the Reds a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his leadoff home run to right-center field against Trey Yesavage. Two more runs followed in the third inning, including a two-out RBI double by Eugenio Suárez. Another two runs crossed in the fifth on Héctor Rodríguez's triple off the wall in left field.

Lowder, Cincinnati's first-round selection in the 2023 Draft, debuted at the end of '24 -- his first pro season -- and posted a 1.17 ERA in his six starts. A right forearm injury, followed by a severe oblique strain, prevented him from pitching in the big leagues last season.

When the Reds came to Spring Training this year, Lowder was viewed as a big part of the team's rotation depth as he competed for a spot. Injuries to Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo meant Lowder got to open the season with the club.

Then an injury -- right shoulder soreness -- put Lowder out of action for a month from May 7-June 7. When Greene debuted in July and made only five starts, Lowder briefly moved to the bullpen.

Outside of the All-Star year from Chase Burns, the rotation -- expected to be Cincinnati's biggest strength -- largely underperformed. It is ranked 28th in the Majors with a 4.94 ERA. But this week the group showed how formidable it could be. Brandon Williamson threw six scoreless innings at Atlanta on Tuesday and Andrew Abbott gave up two runs over a season-high seven innings against the Braves Wednesday.

Once again in 2027, it will be critical for Lowder and Cincinnati's rotation to reach their potential to have any chance at contending again after a losing season.

“I think we’d all like to be a little bit more consistent," Lowder said. "I have no doubt in any of these guys. We all know the areas we need to improve. It’s not like we’re just out there blindly throwing the ball. I don’t have any doubt that everybody’s going to take the offseason and go get better and we’re going to come back stronger next year.”