Caught Red-Handed
The Mets entered Cincinnati riding high after taking two of three from Atlanta. One night later, they were handed a reality check.
Tuesday: June 16
The Mets entered Cincinnati feeling good about themselves after taking two of three from the best team in baseball over the weekend.
The offense had come alive. The bullpen was rolling. The vibes were positive.
By the end of Monday night, none of that mattered.
The New York Mets were demolished 12-0 by the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park to open a six-game road trip.
They suffered their largest shutout loss since a 15-0 defeat to the Nationals on Aug. 26, 2018.
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It was the exact opposite of the momentum New York hoped to carry with them from Atlanta.
The Reds entered the night having lost eight of their last 10 games.
And in the middle of an offensive slump without superstar Elly De La Cruz, who has been sidelined since May 31 with a hamstring strain.
Cincinnati had averaged just 3.11 runs per game during that stretch.
That changed quickly.
Tobias Myers, recalled from Triple-A to serve as an opener, never gave the Mets a chance to settle into the game.
A three-run first inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-run homer from Eugenio Suárez, gave Cincinnati an immediate 3-0 lead.
And against one of baseball’s hottest young pitchers in Chase Burns, that already felt like a mountain.
Burns struck out five of the first seven batters he faced and finished with five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts.
The game then completely unraveled in the second.
Myers allowed the first three hitters to reach before finally being removed.
Jonathan Pintaro inherited a mess and couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Suárez delivered the knockout punch.
The former All-Star crushed a grand slam 406 feet to dead center field, capping a six-run inning and giving Cincinnati a 9-0 lead after just two innings.
Suárez’s first two innings:
2-for-2
2 home runs
6 RBIs
Game over.
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For Myers, it was a disastrous return to the major leagues.
The right-hander faced 11 batters and retired only four of them, allowing seven runs while walking three in just 1.1 innings.
Myers’ Final Line In The Mets Loss:
Afterward, Myers admitted he’s still searching for answers.
“This is something I’ve seen on the mound with my delivery mechanically,” Myers said.
“I’m currently in the process of digging deep into why my command is off.”
The frustrating part for the Mets is that they actually had opportunities to make the score respectable.
They simply failed to capitalize.
New York went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners overall.
New York left the bases loaded in the fourth inning.
They left the bases loaded again in the fifth. They left the bases loaded again in the seventh. They also stranded two more runners in the sixth.
Every time an opportunity appeared, it disappeared just as quickly.
“We put up some pretty good at-bats against a pretty good arm,” Carlos Mendoza said.
“Even though we were down big from the second inning, I thought the guys continued to put up some really good at-bats, but not enough.”
The box score somehow managed to be both ugly and frustrating.
The Mets collected six hits, but Bo Bichette accounted for half of them, going 3-for-5 with two doubles.
The offense consistently put traffic on the bases but never delivered the hit that could put them in the game.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati never stopped adding on.
The loss also highlighted two issues that continue to hang over this team.
Injuries.
And starting pitching.
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The Mets have survived for much of the season despite receiving limited length from their rotation, but nights like Monday expose how difficult that formula can be to sustain over a six-month season.
When the starter doesn’t provide innings, the bullpen gets taxed.
When the offense doesn’t cash in opportunities, the margin for error disappears.
And when both happen in the same game, you get a result like this.
One night after making a statement against the best team in baseball, the Mets were reminded how quickly this game can humble you.
The good news?
It only counts as one loss.
The bad news?
The Mets now need to show that Sunday’s momentum wasn’t erased by nine disastrous innings in Cincinnati.
🪫 Great Scott 🪫
The Mets are dealing with yet another injury setback.
The club announced Monday that right-hander Christian Scott has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 12, due to a right hip impingement.
Speaking ahead of Monday night’s series opener against the Reds, manager Carlos Mendoza said Scott first felt discomfort following his start against the Cardinals last Thursday, when he allowed one run over 4.2 innings.
According to Mendoza, Scott initially brushed it off and received treatment, but things changed when he attempted to throw his regularly scheduled bullpen session on Sunday.
That’s when the Mets sent Scott for an MRI, which revealed the hip impingement.
Mendoza said Scott received a cortisone shot Sunday and was already feeling better by Monday.
“We’re hoping this is a minimal stint on the IL,” Mendoza said.
The injury is another blow to a Mets pitching staff that has already dealt with its share of setbacks this season.
Scott has been one of the club’s most reliable starters, posting a 3.10 ERA across nine starts and 40.2 innings.
📸 Where Mets History Comes Back To Life
11 years ago. Back on this day yesterday, 6/15/2015. Down to his final strike, Lucas Duda tied the game with a bloop single, which scored Michael Cuddyer from first. Wilmer Flores then hit the next pitch up the middle for a walk-off single 🔽
Yesterday was an anniversary that helped shape the Mets organization forever. 43-years-ago, the New York Mets traded Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey to the St. Louis Cardinals for Keith Hernandez. The rest is history.
🗞️ News and Notes In Mets Land 🗞️
🔶 Christian Scott was placed on the 15-Day Injured List Monday. RHP Daniel Duarte was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as well.
🔷 New York claimed former-Met, Zack Short off waivers from Detriot and moved Jorge Polanco to the 60-day IL.
Short has played for five MLB teams and appeared in 10 games for the Mets in 2024.
🔶 Mets infielder Ronny Mauricio (fractured wrist) could start a minor league rehab assignment toward the end of this week if he continues to progress well with baseball activities.
🏟️ Around The League 🏟️
💥 Zack Wheeler struck out nine Marlins on his way to six shutout innings in a Phillies 7-0 win. Wheeler has been incredible through 10 starts this season: 62.2 IP | 62 K | 2.01 ERA | 0.85 WHIP.
🔜 Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh will return to the Mariners lineup today. Raleigh has been out since May 13 and hit five homers with a 1.794 OPS in five minor league rehab games. The star catcher has had a dissapointing year after clubbing 60 home runs last season.
🏥 Braves starter, Spencer Strider (right elbow), will be shut down for four weeks after being placed on the IL. Strider had left his last start against NY on Friday with arm soreness.
🏆 Your AL and NL Players of the Week.
For the week of June 8 through June 14.
🍾 Twins Byron Buxton: 11-for-24 (.458 AVG), 4 HR, 7 RBIs.
🎖️ Brewers Jackson Chourio: 13-for-29 (.448 AVG), 5 HR, 10 RBIs.
🫡 Brewers Jacob Misiorowski: 95-pitch shutout with 15 Ks on June 12.
⚾️ Tonight, the Mets (32-40) play the middle game of their three-game series against Cincinnati (34-37) from Great American Ballpark. Kodai Senga (0-4, 9.00) makes his return for New York against Reds’ right-hander, Brady Singer (2-6, 5.61). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm. The game can be seen on SNY.
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