WASHINGTON — Starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman exited Wednesday’s game vs. the Nationals at Nationals Park with right shoulder soreness after tossing just 1 1/3 innings. The righty’s night was off to a rocky start, having walked five batters — one with the bases loaded, allowing the second of two runs to score.
Wednesday marked Hoffman’s 10th start of the season. The 2014 first-rounder made 38 starts with the Rockies before joining the Reds this offseason in the deal that sent Robert Stephenson to Denver. The 1 1/3 innings marks the shortest start of the right-hander’s career.
Of Hoffman’s 46 pitches tossed, 29 of them were four-seamers — the velocity dropping 1.4 mph from his yearly average. The starter could not locate his pitches, receiving just four called strikes, only one of which was entirely inside the true strike zone.