Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets – September 6, 2024

After a three-game win over the first-place Houston Astros, the Cincinnati Reds (68-73) begin a ten-game road trip. First up, they face another potential playoff team, the New York Mets (76-64). The Mets are currently tied with the Braves for the last wildcard spot in the National League and would enter the race as the No. 6 seed if the playoffs were to begin today. Both the Mets and Braves lead the Cubs by four games and are 2.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite being an offensive machine (third in the NL in home runs and fifth in team OPS), the Mets are only seventh in the NL in team ERA (4.02). The Reds are right behind them in eighth place with an ERA of 4.13.

First pitch is at 7:10 EDT.

Lineups

Starting pitchers

Fernando Cruz

Right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz will be the opening pitcher in another bullpen game for the Reds. He last started against the Brewers on Aug. 31, allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out five batters in two innings. He also opened the game against Oakland on Aug. 28. Although he allowed a home run in that game, he also struck out six batters in three innings.

Cruz has had his struggles this season, but he's also had some excellent moments, especially against right-handed pitchers. Right-handed pitchers have posted a batting average under .200 in 136 at-bats against him, and he has a 40 percent strikeout rate against them. Cruz's split finger is still his signature pitch. Cruz has a 59.2 percent whiff rate and 73 strikeouts on the splitter in 417 pitches.

In response to Cruz being the opening pitcher, the Mets put a switch hitter and a left-hander at the top of their lineup in Lindor and Nimmo. Jakob Junis is one of the pitchers expected to pitch after Cruz.

Divisions

Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea is having one of the best seasons of his career, with a 3.35 ERA in 27 starts, and that's a big reason the Mets are in the playoffs mix. After a rough month of June, Manaea rebounded in July, posting a 2.70 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 36.2 innings over six starts. He continued that into August. Although his ERA was higher in August (3.52), that's only because he allowed one more earned run in just 30.2 innings than he did in July. In those 30.2 innings, he struck out 37 batters.

Manaea has a sweeper that can be devastating to hitters. He throws the ball primarily to right-handed hitters and has 53 strikeouts with it. The opponents' batting average against his sweeper is just .177. Last season, hitters only managed .122 with it. His average is just 77.8 mph, which is likely why his whiff rate is nearly 40% (38.7%) with it.

Divisions

Pitch usage

Game details:

• Time: 7:10 p.m. EDT
• Location: Citi Field, Flushing, NY
• Weather: 74 degrees, partly sunny, 0 percent chance of rain
• TV: Bally Sports Ohio
• Radio: 700 WLW

News and information

Minor League Summary

Catch up on last night's action from the Reds' minor league teams, including the Daytona Tortugas' magic number that clinched a playoff spot.

Joey Votto: Forever a national treasure