Cincinnati Reds vs Colorado Rockies

Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies (2026-07-18). Rhett Lowder vs Tomoyuki Sugano at Coors Field.

Starters — Rhett Lowder: 4.91 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 69.2 IP, 7.62 K/9, 4.52 BB/9, 1.16 HR/9. His last three outings were short but effective: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 2 BB on July 12; 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 K, 0 BB on July 8; and 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 K, 3 BB on July 4. The recent trend is down, but the run prevention in those appearances was better than his full-season line. Tomoyuki Sugano: 4.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 84.1 IP, 5.12 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, 1.71 HR/9. His last three starts were volatile: 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 2 K, 1 BB on June 26; 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 0 BB on June 20; and 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 2 K, 2 BB on June 14. The trend is up, though the profile shows low walks with notable home-run risk.

Teams — Cincinnati enters with a .707 OPS and 402 runs scored, alongside a 4.49 team ERA and 1.43 WHIP. The Reds are 4-6 over their last 10 games. Their offense has been more modest by comparison, but the pitching staff has been clearly stronger than Colorado’s on the season. Colorado carries a .743 OPS and 468 runs scored, with a 5.45 team ERA and 1.52 WHIP, and is 3-7 in its last 10. The Rockies have produced the better raw offensive numbers, but their staff has allowed more traffic and more damage overall, which is always magnified at Coors Field.