The New York Mets couldn’t sustain an early spark as they opened the second half of the season with an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night at Citi Field.
Sean Manaea picked up where he left off before the break, striking out the side in the first and retiring the first nine batters he faced. Juan Soto got the crowd going with a solo home run in the first, his 24th of the season and league-leading 16th since May 31, and Jeff McNeil added an RBI single in the second to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Manaea exited after four strong innings, allowing just one hit, a solo homer to Austin Hays, while striking out six. However, the bullpen couldn’t hold the line. Alex Carillo surrendered three home runs over 1.1 innings, including Hays’ second blast and a two-run shot from Tyler Stephenson that broke the game open in the sixth. Brandon Waddell also gave up a pair of runs over 3.2 frames.
The Mets’ offense went quiet after their early burst, managing just two baserunners over six innings until a late ninth-inning rally. Down to their final out, New York plated two runs and brought the tying run to the plate, but Francisco Lindor popped out to end it, capping an 0-for-5 night.
The Mets (55-43) look to bounce back Saturday on David Wright’s number retirement day. Clay Holmes takes the mound against Reds righty Nick Martinez. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].