There was plenty to cheer about on Pete Rose Night at Great American Ball Park, but it generally wasn’t related to the game.
A sellout crowd celebrated Pete Rose’s Cincinnati Reds career during a pregame ceremony featuring Reds greats, and many fans donned the throwback-style, replica, No. 14 “ROSE” jerseys they received upon entering the park.
Then, the current-day Reds took to the field against the Chicago White Sox and dropped a second consecutive game to lose the three-game series.
The White Sox, the American League’s cellar dweller with a 13-29 record, doused the Cincinnati celebration with a 4-2 win on another night when the Reds’ bats struggled to find traction even with nine hits by game’s end. The Chicago victory confirmed their series win against Cincinnati, which dropped to 20-24 overall in 2025 and 2-9 in its last 11 games.
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“I thought the last couple innings, we started to make some noise, which is a good feeling,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “I thought the last couple innings, we put some pressure on them.”
The White Sox will go for a series sweep in Thursday’s matinee (12:40 p.m.) at Great American Ball Park. Chicago right-hander Bryse Wilson is scheduled to face the Reds’ Nick Martinez.
On Wednesday, Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo had to work through traffic in several moments during his 5 1/3 innings. He allowed seven hits, two walks and three earned runs.
The first of those runs crossed in the second inning for Chicago. An Andrew Vaughn double drove in Luis Robert Jr.
Lodolo managed to work through the traffic until the fifth inning when Robert Jr. singled to plate Chase Meidroth.
Lodolo allowed a solo home run to Lenyn Sosa to right-center field in the sixth inning, which proved to be his final batter of the game.
“(Lodolo) gave up a home run late,” Francona said. “Close to six innings, five and a third. He pitched OK. On a lot of nights, we’re patting him on the back. That’s just not where we’re at right now.”
Lodolo said he relished the opportunity to pitch on Pete Rose Night.
“It was pretty cool,” Lodolo said. “I wish I would have got the opportunity to speak with him (Rose) and, you know, I don’t really have a story from that standpoint but you can definitely feel the love Cincinnati has for Pete and the way he played the game and everything. It was pretty cool to see.”
Chicago tacked on again in the seventh inning when Michael A. Taylor zipped a solo home run to left field. The ball exited at 105.3 mph off Reds reliever Scott Barlow.
Spencer Steer provided some excitement for the crowd of 43,585 when he lead off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run into the left-field grandstand.
Reds catcher Jose Trevino then reached on an infield single. A comeback might have been brewing, but Will Benson’s deep drive to left field was hauled in for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Matt McLain, also flew out to Brooks Baldwin in left.
That was the final batter of the game for Chicago starting pitcher Davis Martin, who allowed the one run via Steer’s homer, as well as six additional hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.
Benson, who typically plays as a right fielder, finished the game with three acrobatic catches.
In the eighth inning, the Reds halved their deficit after back-to-back doubles by Elly De La Cruz and Austin Hays, but that was as close as Cincinnati would get to Chicago.
The Reds were 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position in the series prior to Hays driving De La Cruz in.
The Reds brought the tying run to the the plate after a one-out walk by Benson in the ninth inning, but couldn’t muster a rally.