New York is 22-33 and 11 games under .500, and the vibes around Citi Field are about as bad as they get in late May. The Mets have lost 5 in a row, the last 2 by the same 7-2 score to this same Reds team, and they're rolling out a bullpen game with Huascar Brazoban opening and Jonah Tong reportedly lined up behind him on 4 days rest. That is not the script you draw up to stop a slide.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, is humming. Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suarez each cracked 2-run doubles in Tuesday's win, and Chase Burns picked up his 4th straight start with a win on Monday. Andrew Abbott (4-2, 3.97) gets the ball Wednesday looking to finish the job after a 5.1-inning, 1-ER outing in Philly his last time out. He walked 3 in that start, which is the one thing to watch — a Mets lineup missing this much firepower needs free baserunners to manufacture anything.
The injury list is honestly the whole story on the Mets side. Francisco Lindor (calf), Francisco Alvarez (knee), Jorge Polanco (Achilles), Kodai Senga (back), Luis Robert Jr. (back), and now Tyrone Taylor (hip) headed for an MRI — that is a starting lineup's worth of guys in the trainer's room. There's some light at the end of the tunnel — Lindor has started a running progression and Alvarez could beat his 8-week timetable — but none of it helps tonight.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont RP — The Twins reinstated Staumont (calf) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino C — Trevino is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder SP — Lowder (shoulder) is expected to face hitters Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) is throwing from his knees in order to keep throwing while not putting stress on his strained hamstring, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox19.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- 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-DayGrae Kessinger 3B — no
- 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-DayNick Burdi RP — The Red Sox reinstated Burdi (hip) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
- 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-ILTyrone Taylor CF — Taylor (hip) will be sent for an MRI, but the team expects that he'll require a stint on the injured list, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Alvarez C — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that Alvarez (knee) has already resumed hitting and could return well before his projected eight-week timetable, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
The market sees the gap. Pinnacle has the Mets as a modest -114 home favorite, but DraftKings actually flipped them to a +101 underdog with the Reds at -122 — and the EV on both sides of the moneyline is negative, which is the book's way of saying don't bother. The total is the more interesting split: Pinnacle at 8.5, DK shaded down to 7.5, which tracks for a bullpen game on a night when the home offense has scored 6 runs over its last 5 games combined.
Bottom line — if the Mets are going to stop the bleeding, it probably has to come from Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto playing pepper with the gaps and the bullpen patchwork holding a Reds lineup that has put up 7 runs in back-to-back games. That's a lot of ifs. The Reds look like the better team, they're playing like the better team, and they've got their best matchup of the series on the mound. Carlos Mendoza needs a win here before this thing turns into a full-blown crisis.