WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Nationals suffered a 5-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on July 23, 2025, as Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo dazzled with his first career complete-game shutout. Lodolo’s sharp pitching arsenal—including a curveball, changeup, and fastball—kept the Nationals’ lineup off balance all game. Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo acknowledged Lodolo’s dominance: “He was nasty. You don’t want to give credit to another team’s pitchers, but he mixed it up… He pitched really good.”

Michael Soroka started for Washington and provided a competitive outing, tossing 5.2 innings while allowing one run on two hits, walking three, and striking out six. Soroka reflected on his performance despite not having his usual velocity: “I think just playing with what we had… velocity was down a little bit again and I would like to have that back. But you gotta make do with what you have. And I thought we did that. We executed when we needed to behind in counts… I wish I could have kept it going a little longer, but, yeah, I kept the team in it and gave them a chance”.

Offensively, the Nationals were limited by Lodolo’s control and mix of pitches. The lineup struggled to score, with late-inning chances ultimately falling short. In the eighth inning, Jackson Rutledge gave up three consecutive hits and a sac fly, extending the Reds’ lead to 3-0. Nationals outfielder Jacob Young made a spectacular catch on a deep fly ball by Will Benson near the center field wall, a key defensive play Young described as energizing: “You’re still in the ball game there. It’s 3-0. It’s late in the game. It felt like it kept us in the game. It gives us a chance… It was just kind of an exciting moment to bring some energy and try to get us back in that game.”

Despite spirited defensive efforts and Soroka’s solid pitching, the Nationals’ offense could not overcome the Reds’ shutout performance. The game unfolded over 2 hours and 22 minutes with an attendance of 21,567 at Nationals Park. The loss dropped Washington to 41-61 while the Reds improved to 53-50.

From interim manager Miguel Cairo’s perspective, Lodolo deserved credit for his commanding outing, but the Nationals remain focused on regrouping and improving execution at the plate to better challenge elite pitching performances moving forward.

Up next, the Washington Nationals will head to Minnesota to face the Twins for a three-game series that starts on Friday night. The Nationals are scheduled to send LHP MacKenzie Gore, who has a 4-9 record and 3.59 ERA, and will face RHP Zebby Matthews from the Twins with a 1-2 record and a 6.26 ERA.