Rhett Lowder’s spring stumble shouldn’t change Reds Opening Day rotation plan

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder has been one of the most talked about names in camp this spring. Unfortunately, the young right-hander had quite the hiccup during his last start. Lowder allowed five runs on seven hits over 3⅔ innings of work on Monday against the Athletics.

He ran into problems during the first inning on Monday after back-to-back hits to start the game, then a fielding error by second baseman Garrett Hampson put the A's up 1-0. Two more base knocks put two more runs on the board, and Lowder finally got out of the inning after sandwiching a sacrfice fly between two punch outs. He threw 26 total pitches in the first inning.

Lowder settled in after that, however, and faced the minimum during the second inning. A line drive single in the third and a double in the fourth were the only other hits he allowed, and the right-hander left after throwing nearly 60 pitches, 43 of which landed for strikes.

Rhett Lowder is still tracking toward Reds Opening Day roster

This was the first time all spring that Lowder really struggled against the competition. Heading into play on Monday, he'd allowed just one run on two hits to go along with seven strikeouts. He spoke after the game, and it seems as if the A's approach during the early-going was to hunt the fastball.

"This is exactly what I needed, especially coming off not getting in many games last year," Lowder said. "Getting some traffic, getting behind the count, having to throw different pitches, seeing a mix of righties and lefties."

Lowder is in the thick of a roster battle with Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson. Before spring training began, the trio looked as if they were all competing for just one spot on the Reds Opening Day roster. But Hunter Greene's elbow injury has changed the roster math. It now appears that Greene will miss the start of the season, meaning there's an extra opening in the Reds rotation.

As long as Lowder doesn't compound his latest blip by serving up another dud during his next start, all signs point to him being included in the Reds Opening Day rotation. That final spot is looking more and more like a two-man battle between Burns and Williamson.