Lodolo was pulled from Thursday's start versus the Pirates in the seventh inning due to a right groin injury.

The Reds are calling the exit precautionary, suggesting Lodolo would have a chance to be ready for a postseason start next week, should his team qualify. If it was the lefty's final start of the season, he went out on a high note, fanning 12 batters while permitting only two hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless innings. The stellar performance lowered Lodolo's season ERA to 3.30.

Rasmussen didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Baltimore, allowing two hits and two walks across 2.1 scoreless innings. He stuck out three.

Making his final start of the season, Rasmussen was pulled after recording one out in the third inning, putting him exactly at his 150-inning limit for the season. While Rasmussen failed to make it past five innings in any of his final five outings, the right-hander had a strong campaign overall, posting a 2.76 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and 127 strikeouts across 31 starts.

Lodolo was removed from Thursday's start against the Pirates in the seventh inning with an apparent injury, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lodolo was visited by the trainer after striking out Andrew McCutchen to lead off the top of the seventh inning and eventually walked off the field. It's unclear what happened, but blisters have been an issue for Lodolo in the past, so it's possible another one popped up. The Reds should have more on his condition shortly. Lodolo was dominant before being removed, striking out 12 while yielding just two hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless frames.

Hancock will start Thursday's game against the Rockies, Andrew Destin of the Associated Press reports.

He's filling in for Bryan Woo (pectoral), who is having a start skipped. Hancock hasn't thrown more than two innings in an appearance since being moved to the bullpen in late August, so it will be a relatively abbreviated outing for the righty Thursday.

Gallen's next start was pushed back a day to Friday in San Diego due to fatigue/illness, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

It was Gallen's turn Thursday versus the Dodgers, but he's dealt with an illness during his last two starts that's sapped his strength. His performance in those outings appeared unaffected, as the righty yielded four runs with a 15:3 K:BB over 13 innings, but the Diamondbacks nonetheless made the decision to give Gallen an extra day of rest. Jalen Beeks is opening and Nabil Crismatt is slated for bulk relief Thursday.

Sale will be used as a bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Pirates, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta will use Charlie Morton as an opener in his final career appearance before Sale takes over. It will be the first relief outing for Sale since he closed out the 2018 World Series as a member of the Red Sox. While it will be unconventional usage for the lefty, Sale will have a better chance to pick up a win as a bulk reliever, and he should be available for a typical starter's workload.

Morton will serve as Atlanta's opening pitcher in Sunday's game versus the Pirates, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Morton is slated to retire after the season, but first he'll be given a send-off in the final game of the regular season with the team that drafted him and where he spent five major-league seasons. Chris Sale will follow Morton in a bulk-relief role Sunday.

Sasaki notched a hold against Arizona on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect seventh inning.

Sasaki was the first reliever Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used after Blake Snell allowed just one run over six innings. The appearance was Sasaki's first out of the bullpen in the majors after beginning his career with eight starts. The right-hander not only got through a clean inning, he looked dominant in doing so, striking out two of the three batters he faced and notching three whiffs on 13 pitches. Roberts is seeking answers to patch up a beleaguered bullpen that blew its 27th save of the season Wednesday, so Sasaki could be handed a pretty prominent high-leverage role in the playoffs if he's able to consistently pitch the way he did in his initial relief appearance.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that he's discussed with Greene the possibility of pitching out of the bullpen during Sunday's game in Milwaukee, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Greene threw 96 pitches over six innings in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Pirates, so he would be pitching on three days' rest Sunday and would be making his first-ever relief appearance. Francona said that Greene is "open" to the idea, though it will ultimately come down to how the righty feels Sunday and also whether the Reds still have something to play for.

Crismatt will be used as a bulk reliever in Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Crismatt was moved to the Diamondbacks' bullpen last week, but he'll get an opportunity to make a quasi-start Thursday in what is likely to be his final appearance of the season. The righty swingman has pitched well for Arizona, collecting a 2.61 ERA and 23:7 K:BB over 31 frames covering five starts and two relief outings.