4/29/18 Game Preview: Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets

The New York Mets (14-13) haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire of late. Despite salvaging the finale of their series with the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday, the Mets have dropped seven of their last ten games, but they are fortunate to not lose too much ground in the National League East. The Mets enter play today just a game and a half out of first place in the division, and they will look to get back on track with a four game set against the Cincinnati Reds (11-16). First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.

The Reds had a miserable year in 2018, going 67-95 to finish dead last in the National League Central, landing a whopping 28.5 games back of the first place Brewers. Despite the fact that it looked like their division was loaded, Cincinnati made some aggressive moves in the offseason, swinging several trades to add legitimate big league talent to the roster. The big deal came with the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing the Reds to add Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the outfield while picking up Alex Wood to bolster their rotation. The Reds also picked up Sonny Gray from the Yankees and gave him a contract extension, believing that getting Gray out of New York would help him recapture his brilliance from Oakland. The moves haven’t paid off yet as Cincinnati checks into play today in last place again, but the division is still tight, so a good run could put them right into the thick of things.

The Mets will send righty Zack Wheeler (2-2, 4.85 ERA) to the mound today. Wheeler has been on a roll in his last three starts, including last Tuesday’s effort against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he tossed seven shutout innings to earn his first win of the year. The Reds will counter with right hander Tanner Roark (1-1, 3.24 ERA), who they acquired from the Washington Nationals over the winter. Roark pitched well in his last outing, allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings against the Atlanta Braves last Wednesday, but was stuck with a loss due to a lack of run support.

Local Coverage:

Television: SNY

Radio: WCBS

New York Mets Lineup:

Here’s how we stack up. #LGM pic.twitter.com/xuyafpDbT7

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 29, 2019

Pre-Game Notes:

• The Mets went 3-3 against the Reds last season, but did win two out of three at Citi Field in August.
• Wheeler is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two career starts against the Reds.
• Roark is 8-4 with a 3.07 ERA in his career against the Mets.
• Brandon Nimmo (4 for 9, HR, 2 RBI’s) and Jeff McNeil (2 for 6, HR, 2 RBI’s) have had small sample size success against Roark.