Cincinnati Baseball Insights

So, apart from Brett Batty, Hunter Greene was a main topic of conversation on Sunday. And honestly, he really dominated the game.

Then there’s Cedric Mullins, who has been a bit of a concern, especially with the trade deadline looming and yet another 0-2 strikeout day. His performance for the Orioles hasn’t been great either—21-0 in the last eight games, hitting just .178 with a .568 OPS in 29 games against the Mets.

Coach Carlos Mendoza commented on Mullins’ struggles, saying, “I think we lack fastballs. Sometimes we miss them completely. We foul them off; we just can’t connect.” It seems there’s a pattern where he’s missing good pitches in the strike zone, especially leading up to the team’s 3-2 loss.

Mullins was brought in for his batting skills, particularly against left-handed pitchers. He did make a few solid hits on Saturday, but defensively, he fell short—he couldn’t get Noervi Marte out at home plate on Sunday.

Interestingly, Mullins is waiting for Tyrone Taylor, who’s currently sidelined with a hamstring issue, to get a chance so he can really prove himself. While McNeill fills the center field role, the Mets seem hesitant to frequently put the 33-year-old infielder out in the outfield.

In recent games, Mark Vientos has been out of the starting lineup, and Juan Soto has shifted to designated hitter. There was a moment when Vientos pinch-hit for Mullins but didn’t capitalize on it, which was frustrating.

Mendoza is looking to leverage Ryan Healthley as well, although he’s had issues during crucial moments. He, unfortunately, has been tagged with at least nine runs in nine of his 14 games against the Mets and carries an 11.45 ERA. Despite that, he believes he’s resolved a pitch tipping problem and just needs to see better results.

Interestingly enough, Reed Garrett made an impressive return, pitching seven scoreless innings after being activated from the injured list. Meanwhile, Tylor Megill struggled in his sixth rehab start, allowing five runs over just two innings, complicating his comeback from an elbow sprain. The Mets will need to decide what’s next for him after this outing.

With new additions like Brandon Sproute and Garrett, the Mets had to make room by sending Suiro and Kevin Helgett to Triple-A Syracuse, and Justin Garza got designated for assignment to create space on the roster.

In the midst of this, Soto hit his ninth home run, extending his batting streak to nine games. And on Batty’s third home run, he’s boasting a .323/.388/.516 slash line over the last 28 games, with five home runs, three doubles, 20 runs, 10 RBIs, and three steals. There’s certainly more to track as the season progresses.