The Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets have split the first two games of their series. Today New York will send a starting pitcher to the mound to make his big league debut as the two teams try to take one step closer to making the playoffs as they compete for a wild card spot. First pitch is scheduled for 1:40pm ET. This game will also be available on MLB Network along with the usual broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.
Starting Lineups
New York Mets | Cincinnati Reds |
| Francisco Lindor – SS | TJ Friedl – CF |
| Juan Soto – DH | Noelvi Marte – RF |
| Pete Alonso – 1B | Elly De La Cruz – SS |
| Brandon Nimmo – LF | Austin Hays – DH |
| Starling Marte – RF | Gavin Lux – LF |
| Jeff McNeil – 2B | Sal Stewart – 1B |
| Francisco Alvarez – C | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Brett Baty – 3B | Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B |
| Cedric Mullins – CF | Matt McLain – 2B |
| Brandon Sproat – RHP | Hunter Greene – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Hunter Greene | 83.1 | 2.70 | 0.97 | 17 | 101 |
| Brandon Sproat (AAA) | 121.0 | 4.24 | 1.24 | 53 | 113 |
| Links: Hunter Greene’s Stats | Brandon Sproat’s Stats | |||||
Hunter Greene
Since returning from the injured list, Hunter Greene has made four starts and allowed just seven earned runs in his 23.2 innings while striking out 28 batters and walking just three.
The splits against Greene this season are small. Lefties are hitting for a lower average, but hitting for a bit more power. Right-handed hitters are hitting for a low, but better average, but they walk even less than lefties do when facing him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 167 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 49 | .219 | .247 | .375 |
| LHH | 162 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 52 | .195 | .259 | .396 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 99.4 | 89.4 | 88.3 |
| Usage | 55% | 35% | 10% |
Brandon Sproat
This will be the Major League debut for Brandon Sproat. The 24-year-old has spent all of the season in Triple-A Syracuse. He’s been inconsistent for much of the season and that’s held true in the last month, too. He’s had two starts in his last four where he gave up five earned runs and didn’t get out of the 4th inning. In the other two starts he threw 13.0 combined innings, allowed one run, and struck out 17.
The splits in Triple-A this season are big. He’s been dominant against righties who aren’t hitting in any way, shape, or form. That said, while he has walked just 19 right-handed hitters, he’s also hit nine of them. Lefties are hitting much better, walking a lot more, striking out a lot less. What they don’t do much of is hit for power as he’s generated a high ground ball rate this season.
Splits (Triple-A)
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 245 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 62 | .177 | .270 | .274 |
| LHH | 267 | 59 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 51 | .257 | .356 | .383 |
Pitch Usage (Triple-A)
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 96.9 | 96.0 | 80.4 | 86.5 | 90.8 |
| Usage | 26% | 21% | 7% | 31% | 15% |
When and Where
- Game time: 1:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: FanDuel Sports Network, MLB.tv, MLB Network
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 70°, partly cloudy, 5% chance of rain
News and Notes
Can the Reds win the rubber match?
Joel Luckhaupt pointed out on Bluesky this morning that the Cincinnati Reds are 2-7 all time with Hunter Greene starting the rubber match game of a series. He also noted that the Reds did win the last time this happened – just under a month ago against the Phillies.
Wild Card Standings
With the division firmly out of reach, we are switching to the Wild Card standings for the rest of the season.
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Chicago | 81 | 61 | +5.0 | 99.8% |
| San Diego | 77 | 65 | +1.0 | 96.4% |
| New York | 76 | 66 | 0.0 | 95.3% |
| San Francisco | 72 | 70 | 4.0 | 4.3% |
| Arizona | 72 | 71 | 4.5 | 2.8% |
| Cincinnati | 71 | 71 | 5.0 | 2.1% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
If you haven’t read the commenting guidelines (under “Site Info”), it’s worth having a look.
Anything in particular you are looking to call out?
There were two areas which I found most interesting. The guidelines talk about what is interesting, and what is not. Secondly, they encourage civil and intelligent discussion.
Thanks, drc.
I’ve been on this site for a long time. Doug and his predecessors take a great approach and, for the most part, we all honor that. It rarely gets “uncivil” and when it does, you find comments get edited or removed. People have been put in “time out” and even banned.
Doug is very clear about stuff that won’t be tolerated at all. I really appreciate that from him and the RLN team.
We get plenty of opinion sharing here. I do it and try to call out when that’s all it is. Plenty of contributors bring facts to the table and that can be helpful.
Overall, it’s a great site and I don’t even look anywhere else for Reds commentary.
A few ounces of Wild Card Hope in the bucket … but that’s about all I can see.
Hoping for another solid HG performance today. I’m happy to have him at the top of the rotation for the next few years.
Is the Austin Hays’ $12MM mutual option worth to be excercised? 262/315/455 in 365 PA so far.
Maybe … do we see enough momentum coming up through the system to replace him? He’s not “expensive” by today’s standards at all. Bigger question would be if the Reds aren’t paying that to him, will they combine it with other “savings” and spend it somewhere else?
Good comment about RLN, Mark. I, like you, value the civility. It speaks very well of Doug that he cares about it and enforces/encourages it. My thought on Hays is that–in a story too familiar this year–he is very possibly still feeling the repercussions from his health issues. It may not be farfetched to think that he could be a key addition to the offense next season if he is fully recovered.
Hunter’s looking fairly sharp in the first 😮
Why yes, I believe he is.
First Wife says she thinks HG has Ross the Frenchie in the dugout today and that’s why he’s performing 😀
I can see that. I always try to make my dog proud of me.
I think Stewart needs to give Elly a day or two off with Mclain at short. It can’t hurt him or the team.
+100,000
MattyMc is probably a better “pure SS” and has shown (in limited sample size) that he can slide back over there easily. We have multiple options of 2B or 3B (though I’m definitely on the Hayes Glove Bandwagon). Elly just looks beat down to his socks.
Except it cost the Reds runs and a loss immediately the most recent time MMC went to SS.
Hitting it hard but right at Metro gloves.
Seems like most people are watching football instead of a team playing for pride.
Seems like most people are watching football instead of a team playing for pride.
Seems like most people are watching football instead of a team playing for pride.
Seems like most people are watching football instead of a team playing for pride.
I’ll “fifth” that … 😉
I don’t watch NFL anymore, just NCAA. So I’m sticking here.
They’d be watching football even if the Reds were sitting on 83 wins right now.
Football is the Emperor God King while baseball is like a governor.
Robbed!!!
ABS challenge to overturn that next season. Can’t wait.
Just came in from doing yardwork! See where one team has NO HITS and 4 SOs thru 3 innings so I guess a Reds game just broke out!
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again and again! Whoever on the Reds coaching staff has the words “hitter” or “batting” in their job title needs to be fired at the end of this 2025 season!
In fairness to the Metro rookie, he’s been pretty good. Some of the “usual suspects” but not all on us.
Hey a run without a hit, that is good baseball, but man this team just can’t seem to hit.
Agreed. Important in a tight game like this has been so far.
Are you implying that Mets’ pitcher is “throwing a no-hitter”?
I understand that to say that a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter jinxes the pitcher.
I guess it is safe to say that, right now, the Mets’ pitcher is throwing a no-hitter.
Just checked in from the NFL game to say we may not win today unless we get a hit or two.Of course Hunter is pitching so we have to expect we may struggle to score more then usual.GO REDS
Looking at the remainder of the Reds’ 2025 season and the slim chances of snagging the 3rd and last NL Wild Card spot I believe the Reds will have to go 15-5 in their remaining 20 games including winning today’s game against the Mets!
With a win today the Reds clinch the season series with the Mets which, I believe, is the 1st tiebreaker should the Mets somehow go 10-10 in their final 20 games!
Looking at the other teams (besides the Mets) battling the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot they all have relatively challenging schedules! The Giants have 7 games remaining against the Dodgers and 6 with the Dbacks! The Dbacks probably have the toughest schedule of the 5 teams in contention for the 3rd NL Wild Card spot!
Bottom line, the Reds need to win and WIN a lot! Now would be the time to have a LONG winning streak of 7 to 8 games!
Five innings and still NO hits by this Reds juggernaut!
Hunter Greene gets little, if any, run support it seems like every game he pitches!
No sooner than I posted above about the Mets’ pitcher throwing a no-hitter and Marte breaks it up.
He and I can share the credit.
+10,000 for you CenTexRed
Dorn kind of did an ole’ on that at 3B … thanks for the gift 😉
And the Pizza K!!
Greene masterful
tRadE hiM
Hunter Greene right now about 60 innings short of his 150 last season. Where would the Reds be if he were healthy all season.
So he’s on track to get 3-4 more starts and that brings him somewhere over 110 IP this season then (at least by my math).
That groin injury definitely put a bite in his season and us having him on the mound. Maybe 5 more wins for a 10-game swing?
Shouldn’t be difficult to track the Reds win % in Greene starts …even though he only received a W in 1/3 of them….and project onto the starts he missed due to injury.
But that would be deceiving as well, as Greene hasn’t really pitched a trouble free season yet.
Some accounting for lost-time-accidents would be essential for any estimation of a Greene season.
BTW, nice article last week. Never came back to comment on it, but solid insights.
I’m still leaning toward Francona being worth a couple of wins based on in-game decisions, but certainly not a huge number of them. It’s still based on performance of the guys who actually play (imagine that).
And Krall is still handcuffed by an ownership group that just doesn’t want to pony up the kind of money today’s MLB team construction requires.
A bunch of rocks against a hard place. And, in the end, some good moves that have at least gotten us somewhere. I personally like Hayes at 3B and forcing the move of Marte to RF. Plus Hayes is performing above his Pie-Rats player card since the trade.
Thanks, Mark. Appreciated. History says Francona is indeed a good manager.
The same Hunter Greene that had tremendous stats in the minor leagues that has translated into high quality major league stats.
Cowboy musing over if Martinez goes 2 innings especially if he gets the quick inning (which he does).
Hopefully Pagan has a no-drama 9th.
Given it’s El Tigre Pagan won’t bring the drama.
Tony and the Shortstop are staging some drama of their own.
Due up for Mets in the 9th: Lindor, Soto, Alonso… I don’t know why those guys scare more in this inning than in the first…
Terrible throw, but Steer needs to grab that 😐
The Reds’s shortstop not helping things out right now.
Elly’s throw wasn’t good but a 1B should scoop it in that situation
The SS-1B combo needs some attention heading into 2026.
There’s been too much of this.
The 1b side has the yips making picks every bit as much as the SS side does getting the ball there.
Elly should be in CF in 2026. Enough with the experiment.
Why not leave Martinez in?
I probably would have done it, if I were Francona, but maybe something else at play.
Pagan may likely be gone at season’s end and ramping up Santillan into higher pressure / closer situations might be part of the decision.
Now the inning turned dark
Bike Helmets to the RESCUE!!!
Nice DP to put everything back in place.
Big W. We’re still in this thing.
Limited baseball for this old man the next 3 nights. I’ll watch some, but West Coast games are brutal for an East Coast working guy.
I hear you, Mark! Hate those west coast games! 3 more late night games against the A’s after the 3-game Padres series! No rest for the weary!
Wow Elly gloved it to McLain was chilling but got it… Reds win the series! 4 games back behind the Mets but the series against Padres is huge too…There is still some fun in the season…
That was the only way to get the GIDP. There was no time to handle it.
We ain’t dead, yet.
Most of us aren’t, anyways.
I just don’t understand this fixation with one inning and done relievers. It made sense in the days when starters were throwing a significant percentage of complete games and going deep in the others. But, as we are frequently reminded, baseball has evolved. Organizations have known for a couple of decades that starters were pitching fewer innings, but it doesn’t seem that what to do after the starter has evolved.
This afternoon Nick Martinez comes in to relieve after Hunter Green’s dominant 7 innings. Martinez, who was touted when signed as being the kind of guy who can start, CAN GIVE MULTIPLE INNINGS OF RELIEF, and so on, pitches one inning, then is replaced. Santillian comes in and nearly blows the game. Recently it seems there have been an increasing frequency of games in which the parade of relievers can be counted on to give up one or more runs, often in drip, drip, drip fashion, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a starting rotation of five pitchers, a couple of 1-2 inning guys, and six guys who are stretched out and willing and able to go 2-4 innings at a pop? It just seems that as starting pitching has evolved toward shorter outings, the relief corps needs to be recast into longer outings, with a lot fewer times up in the pen warming up.
Nonetheless, back above .500…..for now.