Lowder, the Reds first-round pick last year, was dominant in retiring the first eight Lansing batters he faced, striking out four of them. He was resourceful when runners reached base. In all he pitched his scheduled four innings, allowed two hits, no runs, walked one and struck out five on 65 pitches in the Dragons’ 1-0 season-opening loss.
“A long time coming,” Lowder said. “It was a lot of fun getting out there. Definitely a little bit nervous, but that’s every game. Just more so excited. There’s a good crowd here. I’ve just been looking forward to this day for a while, so it was a lot of fun.”
In the third inning, Lansing’s Joshwan Wright lined a single up the middle with two outs. Lowder walked the next batter and the next reached on an error by shortstop Leo Balcazar. A ground ball ended the inning.
“I thought he stayed calm,” Harrison said. “The one hit was right back at him, but he just picked back up and got back on it and just kept attacking hitters. It was good to see.”
Lowder kept hitters off balance with his repertoire of mid-90s fastballs, changeups, sliders and sinkers. He said he got a strikeout on each of his pitches.
“I thought I threw good,” Lowder said. “All my pitches were working. I felt like I was getting ahead for the most part. There’s just one or two things I’d like to like to clean up but pretty good for the first one.”
Lowder, 22, wowed fans last season with a 15-0 record and seven shutout innings against LSU in the College World Series. He was the ACC pitcher of the year for the second time and a first-team all-American. The Reds drafted him with the No. 7 pick.
“I tried not to set too many expectations for myself,” Lowder said. “I just wanted to get out there, fill up the zone and then get quick innings.”
Harrison sees a pitcher who trusts his stuff, keeps his emotions on an even keel and performs with confidence.
“I saw really cool and composed guy,” Harrison said. “I thought he worked his sinker pretty well, mixed in some breaking balls. Looked like he’s been there before.”
Lansing starter James Gonzalez, 23, is in his fourth minor-league season after signing with the Athletics out of Panama. He allowed only a leadoff single to Cam Collier in the fifth inning and struck out six.
“Let’s give a little credit to that first pitcher,” Harrison said. “He did a good job mixing his pitches and changing speeds. He never really gave us too much over the heart of the plate.”
The Dragons finished with four hits, including a swinging bunt single by Balcazar and a bloop single by Carlos Jorge to lead off the ninth. A double steal on Sal Stewart’s strikeout for the second out put the potential winning run at second base. But Jay Allen II grounded out to the second baseman to end the game.
“I’m not a prophet, but the last thing I said to them yesterday is you have to learn how to win close games in less than ideal weather,” Harrison said of his young lineup of mostly 19 and 20-year-olds. “It’s easier said, but now we’ve actually had some experience doing it. I know our guys will be better from it.”
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