Reds lose another pitcher as Rhett Lowder exits start

CHICAGO -- The Cincinnati Reds' road trip from hell took a turn for the worse in the fourth inning of the final game of the trip, when starting pitcher Rhett Lowder exited the game with a shoulder injury.

The severity of the injury was not immediately clear. But after Lowder walked the first two Chicago Cubs batters of the inning Thursday, then threw one pitch to Michael Busch, at which point catcher Tyler Stephenson headed to the mound, followed closely by the trainer and manager.

Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder didn't make it out of the second inning May 2 against he Pirates. Lowder allowed eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and four walks.

Lowder then exited the game with what the Reds later called "shoulder discomfort."

Making matters worse yet for the suddenly hard-luck Reds, reliever Connor Phillips recent struggles reared in an ugly way after he replaced Lowder, and the Cubs went on to record a seven-run inning.

Lowder, who appears headed to the injured list, already was coming off the worst start of a 14-start career, lasting just 1 1/3 innings in Pittsburgh five days earlier.

The Reds already have three starting pitchers on the IL, including ace (elbow surgery for bone chips), who was expected to miss more than half the season.