Seeing Double
The Reds entered the series having lost 8 of 10. Two games later, they’ve outscored the Mets 17-3 and highlighted the same issues holding New York back.
Wednesday: June 17
Take a series from the Braves.
Drop a series to a struggling Reds team.
That’s been the story of the 2026 Mets.
Just when it feels like they’re ready to build something, they stall.
Fresh off taking two of three from the best team in baseball over the weekend, the Mets arrived in Cincinnati with momentum and a chance to keep climbing back into the National League Wild Card race.
Instead, they’ve spent the first two games of this series reminding everyone why this season has been so frustrating.
The New York Mets were defeated 5-3 by the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park, guaranteeing a series loss to what was a struggling Reds team.
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Even more concerning, the Reds have outscored New York 17-3 through the first two games.
The Mets desperately needed Kodai Senga’s return.
With injuries continuing to hammer the starting rotation, Senga remains one of the biggest X-factors on the roster. The problem is the Mets don’t have the luxury of easing him back.
How depleted is the rotation?
Only Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean have made at least 10 starts this season.
The Mets are the only team in Major League Baseball with just two pitchers reaching that mark.
That reality made Tuesday’s first inning feel even bigger.
It also couldn’t have gone much worse.
Senga’s first three batters back in the majors:
⚾️ Walk
⚾️ Walk
🚀 Three-run homer
Before many fans had even settled into their seats, Sal Stewart launched a three-run shot 410 feet into the left-field stands.
Moments later, Spencer Steer added a solo homer and Cincinnati had a 4-0 lead.
For the second straight night, the Mets found themselves buried almost immediately.
One night after Tobias Myers allowed seven runs in 1.1 innings, Senga needed 36 pitches just to survive the first inning.
After the two first-inning homers, Senga did not allow another hit.
He finished allowing four runs while walking four batters and throwing 82 pitches across four innings. Not exactly a recipe for success.
The final line wasn’t pretty, but it was far better than where things appeared to be heading after the opening inning.
Senga’s Final Line In The Mets Loss:
The offense had opportunities to rescue him.
That’s what makes this loss sting.
Bo Bichette continued his torrid stretch, lining an RBI single into center field in the third inning for the Mets’ first run of the series.
The former All-Star has been one of the few bright spots lately.
Over his last 15 games, Bichette is hitting .344 with three home runs and 14 RBI.
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He has now hit safely in six consecutive games and has produced five multi-hit games during that stretch.
The Mets repeatedly put pressure on Brady Singer.
They just couldn’t deliver the hit that mattered.
Again.
New York loaded the bases in the third inning.
Nothing.
They loaded the bases in the fourth inning.
Nothing.
The opportunities continued to pile up while the runs never did.
Through the first two games of this series, the Mets have loaded the bases five different times and failed to capitalize.
Gary Cohen summed it up perfectly on the SNY broadcast.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Keith Hernandez followed with an even simpler assessment.
“It’s kind of depressing.”
Hard to argue.
Eventually, Mark Vientos gave the Mets some life with a pinch-hit, two-run homer down the left-field line in the sixth inning.
The 421-foot blast cut the deficit to 5-3 and gave New York a pulse.
It was also the first pinch-hit home run of his career.
The bullpen once again did its job.
Austin Warren, Huascar Brazobán and Luke Weaver combined to keep the game within reach.
But the offense never found the knockout punch.
The Mets finished 3-for-23 with runners in scoring position and have stranded 23 runners through two games in Cincinnati.
Twenty-three.
That’s almost impossible to do.
Manager Carlos Mendoza’s frustration finally boiled over in the seventh inning when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Carlos Torres.
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After the game, Mendoza said he wasn’t pleased with the strike zone.
“I wasn’t pleased with the strike zone, especially with the Benge at-bat there,” Mendoza said. “Went back and looked at some of the pitches.”
Mendoza also acknowledged the Mets were too aggressive with their ABS challenges.
“We were super aggressive today. A little too much there. We’ve got to do a better job and we’ll continue to talk to the guys about it.”
The bigger issue, however, isn’t ABS challenges.
It’s consistency.
The Mets showed they can beat the Braves. They showed it all weekend.
Now they’ve shown once again why they remain stuck fighting uphill.
The injuries continue to mount.
The rotation remains unsettled.
And every time it feels like they’re ready to gain ground, they give it right back.
The road trip isn’t over. The season isn’t over.
But after two games in Cincinnati, the Mets are once again searching for momentum that felt very real just three days ago.
📸 Where Mets History Comes Back To Life
Yesterday, 13-years-ago. Back on 6/16/2013. Entering the ninth inning down 3-0, the Mets scored four times to beat the Cubs. Kirk Nieuwenhuis provided the final blow, a walk-off three-run home run, his first homer of the season 🔽
Luke Weaver struckout the side in the eighth inning and has now thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings.
🗞️ News and Notes In Mets Land 🗞️
🔶 New York designated infielder Vidal Bruján for assignment. Zack Short, who was claimed off waivers from Detriot, was added to the 26-man roster to take his place.
🔷 Jonathan Pintaro, who pitched 3.2 innings on Monday was optioned to Triple-A to clear room for Kodai Senga.
🔶 A.J. Ewing had plenty of family and friends in attendance as he was born just 45 minutes away from Great American Ball Park, in Kettering, Ohio.
🏟️ Around The League 🏟️
👴🏼 43-year-old future Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander, will start against the White Sox on Sunday.
Verlander made one start this season on March 30th before going on the injured list with hip inflammation.
🤯 Braves catcher Drake Baldwin homered in his first at bat since May 18th straight off the IL with an oblique injury. It wasn’t just a home run. It was an absolute nuke. 112.8 MPH off the bat, that traveled 473-feet.
💥 Kyle Schwarber reclaimed sole possession of the MLB home run lead, blasting his 25th in a Phillies demolishing win over the Marlins.
🍁 George Springer is the 16th active hitter to reach 300 career home runs.
He crushed the milestone homer 438-feet in a Blue Jays 6-1 victory over Boston.
⚾️ Today, the Mets (32-41) play the finale of their three-game series against Cincinnati (35-37) from Great American Ballpark. Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.01) gets the start for New York against Reds’ left-hander, Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.21). First pitch is scheduled for 12:40pm. The game can be seen on SNY.
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