The Cincinnati Reds (14-20, 20-8 home) welcome the New York Mets (17-18, 10-10 away) to Ohio to begin a three-game series between a pair of National League opponents. The matchup is the first of seven games scheduled between the two teams.
Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EST inside Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. New York comes in as the betting favorite (-195 moneyline), while the over/under total is 9.5 runs.
What to Know – New York Mets
New York hits the road again after a quick three-game homestand over the weekend where the Mets dropped two of three to the Colorado Rockies. The Mets have lost five of their last six games and fallen seven-games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
The expected starting pitcher for the Mets is right-hander Max Scherzer (2-2, 5.56 ERA, 1.41 WHIP). Scherzer was lit up in his first start back after missing ten games, surrendering six earned runs over 3.1 innings of work.
The veteran pitcher has 22.2 innings on the mound under his belt, allowing 14 earned runs, 22 hits, walking ten, while striking out 20 batters.
New York is 22nd in the majors leagues sporting a .236 team batting average and scoring 4.3 runs per contest. The Mets pitching staff is also 22nd in the league with a 4.74 team earned run average.
The bats of New York’s top hitters have cooled down to begin the month of May. Pete Alonso is hitting .1458 in May, while Starling Marte (.174 avg), and Francisco Lindor (.214 avg) have also seen their averages dip to begin the month. Alonso remains the team leader in home runs (11) and runs batted in (29).
What to Know – Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati continues to rebuild the roster, and the underwhelming start was expected for the young team. The Reds have lost three of their last four, falling to fourth place in the NL Central.
On the hill for the hosts is right-hander Luke Weaver (0-2, 7.88 ERA, 1.69 WHIP). Weaver has struggled in each of the four starts he’s made this season, failing to pick up a win or quality start yet. The 29-year-old has pitched 16.0 innings, giving up 14 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks with 19 strikeouts.
On offense, the Reds rank 16th in the majors with a .245 team batting average, plating 4.2 runs per contest.
Cincinnati’s pitching staff is last in the NL featuring a 5.19 team earned run average.
Lack of offensive production has been part of the problem for the Reds who rank 28th in home runs (27) and 25th in runs scored (144). TJ Friedl leads the organization with a .319 batting average and is second on the team with 16 RBIs. Jack Fraley has a team-high 18 RBIs and Jonathan India has scored 27 runs for the Reds.
The Pick is In
We keep waiting for the Mets offense to show up and continue to be let down. The lineup is much better than the statsheet shows, and the talent is there. Weaver has struggled and presents a great opportunity for the New York offense to figure it out.
The Pick: New York Mets TT Over 5.5 runs
