First pitch is 12:40 PM ET in Cincinnati, with Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.01) trying to stop the bleeding against Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.21) in the series finale. Lodolo is the lefty the Reds want here; McLean is the rookie the Mets are praying figures it out before this gets ugly.
McLean's command has gone sideways. He walked 4 in 4 innings against Atlanta his last time out and has issued 19 walks in his last 31 innings across 6 starts, per SI's coverage of his recent run. A Reds lineup that just hung 12 on Monday and another 5 on Tuesday isn't the spot to suddenly find the strike zone.
Cincinnati was 13-26 since May 1 entering this series and hadn't won back-to-back games since late May, also against the Mets. They've now done it twice over, with Sal Stewart's 3-run shot in the first inning Tuesday flipping the game before New York's bats woke up. Whatever was broken in Cincinnati for a month, the Mets seem to be fixing it.
The injury news isn't doing the Mets any favors either. Francisco Lindor (calf) is still working back through a sim game, Jorge Polanco is on the 60-day, and Christian Scott just hit the 15-day with a hip impingement. The Reds, for their part, are without Elly De La Cruz (hamstring), Hunter Greene, and Ke'Bryan Hayes, but they're the ones playing like the healthier team right now.
- Day-To-DayRyan Lambert RP — Triple-A Syracuse placed Lambert on the 7-day injured list June 4 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayMike Baumann RP — Baumann signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Wednesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Waddell RP — Waddell (shoulder) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two across three innings during Saturday's game against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman RF — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Lindor SS — Lindor (calf) played three innings in a simulated game Friday, and he could begin an official rehab assignment Monday, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz SS — De La Cruz (hamstring) is scheduled to begin running Tuesday and Wednesday, and he will begin a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Gwinnett, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson RP — Johnson (elbow) is scheduled to face live hitters in a simulated game or batting practice Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Saturday and is expected to throw another Monday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) is slated to begin a rehab assignment Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
Lodolo's 5.21 ERA is louder than the stuff has actually looked — he went 5.1 innings of 2-run ball against Arizona in his last start with only 1 walk. Against a Mets lineup missing Lindor and Polanco, sitting on a 0-for-the-series shutout from Monday, a lefty who's pounding the zone is exactly the wrong matchup. If McLean walks the leadoff man in the first, this thing tilts fast.
Sweep or no sweep, the Mets at 32-41 are a team that needs to figure out who they are before the deadline. A noon getaway day in Cincinnati against a starter with a 5-handle ERA is a tone-setter game. Lose this one and they're flying home having been outscored by double digits in 3 days.