Cincinnati Reds starter Rhett Lowder exits with right shoulder discomfort at Chicago Cubs

CHICAGO — Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder exited his start Thursday against the Chicago Cubs in the bottom of the fourth inning with right shoulder discomfort.

Lowder threw 59 pitches before leaving the game with the Cubs leading 1-0.

“I've been working through some stuff,” Lowder said. “We'll see.”

He opened the inning with a pair of walks on nine pitches, then threw a change-up in the dirt to Michael Busch. Reds manager Terry Francona said he noticed Lowder shake his shoulder a couple times and came out to the mound with a trainer. After a brief conversation, Lowder left the game.

“We'll know more tomorrow,” Francona said. “We're going to get him an MRI in the morning. I don't think it was a terrible amount of discomfort. He felt some clicking up there. He was having trouble getting into the spot. I get it. You're asking someone to throw the ball mid-90s and get major league hitters out, and if you don't feel like you can get to a slot — that's why I didn't leave him in. He wanted to stay in and I don't think that's right.”

Lowder gave up a solo home run to Michael Conforto in the second inning and was charged with three earned runs on one hit, four walks and a strikeout in three innings pitched after reliever Connor Phillips allowed both of the inherited base runners to score. The Cubs scored seven runs in the inning, their highest-scoring inning of the season, to take an 8-0 lead.

Lowder came into the game with a 3-2 record and 5.09 ERA in six starts. The home run to Conforto was the second he has allowed in 13 career starts.