The Cincinnati Reds have employed a successful formula on offense over the past six games.
The New York Mets’ offensive formula is once again non-existent.
The Reds will look to complete a sweep of the free-falling Mets Wednesday night, when Cincinnati visits New York in the finale of a three-game set.
Left-hander Andrew Abbott (4-2, 3.97 ERA) is slated to start for the Reds against right-hander Huascar Brazoban (3-1, 1.73), who will perform as an opener for the fourth time. Rookie Jonah Tong (0-0, 0.00 ERA) likely will follow Brazoban.
The Reds cruised Tuesday night, when Eugenio Suarez, Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson had two RBIs apiece in a 7-2 win. Cincinnati won the series opener on Monday by the same score.
Cincinnati has won three games in a row and five of their past six, a span in which it has outscored the opposition 35-23.
The Reds scored just 75 runs while going 4-13 in their first 17 games this month, They had 15 of those runs in a 15-1 rout of the Washington Nationals on May 14.
Cincinnati registered the first six runs Tuesday, scoring twice in the first, three times in the second and once in the sixth.
“We gave ourselves multiple opportunities,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “We scored first, then we scored next. That’s usually a pretty good combination.”
There’s no combination that’s working for the Mets, who have been in last place in the National League East every day but one since April 29. They have lost five in a row, a span in which they’ve been outscored 24-6 while leading at the end of an inning just once. New York led the Miami Marlins 1-0 after one frame in a 2-1 loss last Friday.
The Mets have lost seven of eight dating back to May 19, during which they’ve been outscored 42-18. This is the second extended swoon this season for New York, which lost 12 games in a row from April 8-21.
“Obviously right now, the results aren’t coming,” catcher Luis Torrens said through an interpreter after he had two hits Tuesday night. “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing. But at the end of the day, we continue to come in, work, try to do (things to) the best of our abilities.”
Abbott continued his resurgence in his most recent start May 20, when he allowed two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-4. It was the third win in as many starts for Abbott, who has gone 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last four starts to lower his overall ERA from 6.59 to 3.97.
Brazoban last pitched Sunday, when he allowed one hit in two-thirds of an inning of relief in the Mets’ 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. He last appeared as an opener on May 16, when he tossed 1 1/3 perfect innings in a 6-3 win over the New York Yankees.
Tong made his season debut last Friday and completed three hitless innings of relief in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Marlins.
Abbott is 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in four career starts against the Mets. Brazoban is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in seven relief appearances against the Reds. Tong took the defeat in his only game against Cincinnati last Sept. 6, when he allowed four runs over six innings in a 6-3 loss.
–Field Level Media
