Unswept Reds: Lodolo goes distance in shutout win at Nats as Cincinnati again avoids series sweep

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nick Lodolo went the distance and kept the Cincinnati Reds as the only team in the majors that hasn't been swept this season.

Lodolo threw a four-hitter for his first career shutout and the Reds snapped a three-game losing streak, including the first two games of their series at Washington, with a 5-0 win in the finale against the Nationals on Wednesday.

“We needed a win. ... I don’t care how,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Some games feel like they bigger than others. They’re not, but they feel like it. But I’m glad we won today that’s what we came for.”

The Reds (53-50), who have an off day Thursday, have played 33 series this season without being swept to set a franchise record. It was the fifth time this year they won the finale after losing the first two in a three-game series.

Cincinnati took two out of three at the New York Mets coming out of the All-Star break to match the 32 series in a row by the 1970 Reds, who went on to win the first of five National League pennants in a seven-season span capped by back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and '76. That 1970 team was swept in two games at the Chicago Cubs in its 33rd series of the season.

Lodolo (8-6) struck out eight without a walk, throwing 76 of his career-high 105 pitches for strikes. The Reds have won seven of his nine starts since the beginning of June.

“Lodolo showed up big for us to be able to come out here and, you know, obviously not get swept, but just kind of get us back on track to feeling like what we feel like we can do as a ball club,” right fielder Jake Fraley said. “He's a phenomenal ball player. He's been pitching his butt off all year. And this is just another start that he's been doing all year.”

It was the first time in Lodolo's 68 career starts that the 27-year-old left-hander pitched into the ninth inning, and the first time he went at least seven innings in back-to-back starts. It was his second career complete game, but the other was a rain-shortened 4-2 win in six innings over Minnesota on June 18.

“I got the rainout CG, but now I got a real one,” Lodolo said. “It's pretty cool. I feel like I had everything kind of working for the most part. Good defense, I got some early outs that helped me stay in the game that long.”

Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, when Elly Del La Cruz had a leadoff walk, stole second base and scored on Fraley's single. It stayed that way until the Reds added two runs in the eighth before center fielder Jacob Young's inning-ending leaping catch at the wall to take a homer away from Will Benson.

“I know the score ended up 5-0. That wasn’t a 5-0 game, that was 1-0, (Lodolo) had to pitch through that for the majority of the game,” Francona said. “I thought as the game went he got stronger, which is a really good sign. You know, his breaking ball has been a weapon. And as he holds his velocity the entire game he threw strikes. He just really pitched a great game.”

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Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young makes a a leaping catch at he wall on a fly ball by Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson for an out during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz celebrates in the dugout after he scored on single by Jake Fraley during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz starts his slide as he steals second base during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Firefighters in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Sunday finally extinguished a blaze at a multistory shopping plaza after a nearly 24-hour-long effort. The fire left six people dead, including a firefighter, and dozens missing, officials said.

The fire broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, and spread rapidly through shops stocked with cosmetics, garments and plastic goods, according to Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, the city’s chief rescue officer.

The fire has been put out and now a search for dozens of missing people is underway, said Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister in the Sindh province of which Karachi is the capital. Earlier, authorities had said crews needed another four to six hours to bring the blaze fully under control.

Five bodies were recovered from the four-story building and its basement, which housed about 1,200 shops, Sheikh said. Rescue officials said a firefighter died while trying to extinguish flames on the upper floors. Meanwhile, families continued searching for missing relatives.

Television footage showed dozens of firefighters in protective gear as thick smoke billowed from the damaged building. Parts of the structure collapsed during the fire.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and an investigation will follow.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and ordered authorities to use all available resources to prevent further losses.

Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a fire at a shopping mall in the city killed 10 people and injured 22 others.

Firefighters gather beside a collapsed portion of a multi-story shopping mall following a massive fire that broke out overnight, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Firefighters examine a collapsed portion of a multi-story shopping mall following a massive fire that broke out overnight, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Firefighters pour water to control a massive fire that was broke out in a multi-story shopping mall overnight, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Firefighters try to control a massive fire that was broke out in a multi-story shopping mall in overnight, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)