Things are going from bad to worse for the New York Mets as they dropped their second consecutive game Sunday with a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The NL-East leading Mets will look to get their campaign back on track when they take on the Cincinnati Reds in their series opener tonight.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this crucial matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our MLB previews of Yankees vs. White Sox and Cardinals vs. Brewers.
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New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
When: Thursday, September 24, 7:10 PM ET
Line: New York Mets (-160) at Cincinnati Reds (+145); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the New York Mets
The New York Mets stumbled to yet another defeat with a gut-wrenching 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. The Mets had no answer for the Braves’ Freddie Freeman who drove in a career-high five runs, including a three-run shot in the top of the ninth. It was another disappointing result for the Mets who have now lost six of their last eight games. The Mets’ magic number for clinching the division was still reduced to five, though, with Washington losing 4-3 to Baltimore earlier. They will look to pile more pressure on the struggling Nationals when they take on the Cincinnati Reds in the opening game of their four-game set tonight.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Pitching for the Mets in the series opener is left-hander Steven Matz (4-0, 1.80 ERA). He was terrific in his last start against the Yankees, throwing six innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory on September 18. The Mets have now won four of their last five games with Matz as their starter. Matz has been solid all season for New York, going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts total.
That being said, the Mets also need to pull their weight on the offensive end if they are to beat the Reds in the series opener. The New York offense will rely on the red-hot Daniel Murphy to carry them through tonight. He is 9-for-21 in his last six games with two homers and five RBIs. The Mets also need slugger Yoenis Cespedes to break out of his slump. He is batting just .227 in his last six games with no homers and no RBIs.
Cincinnati’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Reds suffered an embarrassing 10-2 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. The Reds have now lost all of their last four games as they dropped down to 63-88 in the NL Central standings. The Reds will look to snap their losing skid later tonight when they take on the New York Mets in a crunch clash at Great American Ballpark.
Starting for Cincinnati this evening is Josh Smith (0-2, 7.71 ERA). He allowed four runs on six hits over four innings in his return to the Reds rotation against the Brewers on Saturday. Cincinnati won that game, 9-7. He went 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA in three starts for the Reds back in June and July before being sent to Double-A Pensacola. Smith can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Cincinnati hitters to pick up the scoring slack as well. The onus is on first baseman Joey Votto to carry the offensive weight for the Reds tonight. He is 5-for-15 in his last five games with two homers, three RBIs and five walks.
Also expected to contribute for Cincinnati this evening is third baseman Todd Frazier. He is 7-for-21 in his last five games with a homer and three RBIs. He will fancy his chances of extending that excellent form later this evening as he has fared extremely well against Mets starter Steven Matz in the past. He is 1-of-3 lifetime against Matz with one homer and one RBI.
