The All-Star break wrapped up on Friday.
It appeared the Mets were still in vacation mode until the bottom of the ninth.
By that point, the damage was done, leaving them struggling to recover from an 8-4 loss to Cincinnati at Citifield.
After getting solid innings from Sean Mania in his first start back this season, the Mets brought in 28-year-old rookie Alex Carrillo.
In just his third major league appearance, Carrillo struggled, giving up five runs, including three homers, while only managing to retire four batters.
Carlos Mendoza decided to let Brandon Waddell throw 76 pitches in his relief stint during the last 3⅔ innings.
The Mets managed to score twice with two outs in the ninth, but Francis Colindore ended the game with a jump out.
Thanks to the Angels defeating the Phillies, the Mets remained half a game back from first place in the NL East.
Even with lefty Brooks Rayleigh back on Friday, the bullpen remains a concern and a target for baseball president David Stearns as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.
This loss highlighted the team’s issues, especially against a Reds squad that had won five of its last six games. It marked a disappointing start to the second half, given the Mets’ inconsistent lineup that had previously scored three or more runs in the last five games.
The lineup struggled early on and didn’t get any significant hits until late in the game.
Initially, they faced Cincinnati’s lefty Nick Rodro, with All-Star snub Hwang Soto giving them a quick lead via a solo home run with two outs. They extended that lead in the second when Jeff McNeill’s hit allowed Brandon Nemo to score, making it 2-0 after Rodro had retired 14 out of 15 batters.
Rodro ended up allowing two runs over seven innings.
Manaea continued to impress in his first start and second outing of the season after dealing with injuries. The left-hander didn’t give up a hit until Austin Hayes homered in the fourth, affecting the Mets’ lead.
Manaea pitched four innings, allowing one run on 69 pitches before Carrillo took over for the fifth.
Carrillo managed to retire the first two batters but then ran into trouble when Cincinnati’s Matt McClain hit a two-run homer to make it 3-2 after Carrillo had hit TJ Friedl.
Hayes hit another homer in the sixth, followed by Tyler Stevenson hitting a two-run shot, putting the Mets in a four-run deficit before Carrillo was taken out for Waddell.
