All wasn’t lost in Cincinnati for the New York Mets.

Yes, the Mets dropped two out of three to the Reds as maddening inconsistency continues to plague this team. Losing this series in Cincinnati made the previous series win against the Braves seem moot.

However, this team did show how things could be in the series finale, avoiding the sweep thanks to an ace-like performance and a relentless and efficient offense. Granted, what we saw on Wednesday just made the failings of this season so far even more frustrating.

Why can’t the Mets play like that on a much more consistent basis?

While we don’t have the answer to that question, we do have the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down hot off the press for you…

3 UP

ACE-LIKE

That’s more like it, Nolan McLean. The righty put together his best outing in weeks on Wednesday, absolutely dominating the series finale against the Reds. McLean looked at the very peak of his powers, tearing through the Cincinnati lineup with absolute ease. He allowed just one unearned run over seven dominant innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. McLean just overwhelmed the opposing lineup by having complete control of his stuff. It also helped that his four-seam fastball was back to being dangerous, generating five whiffs on 11 swings. All in all, McLean pitched like a true ace, and that’s exactly what the Mets will need moving forward.

ELITE HEATER

There’s hot, and there is whatever Bo Bichette is doing right now. The infielder has finally settled into a groove and he looks unstoppable at the plate. Bichette had three hits in the series opener, two hits in the middle game, and another three hits in the finale. He was at his best on Wednesday, finishing with three runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Plus, after combining with Juan Soto for five runs and three RBIs in the final game, Bichette showed just how dangerous the top of that Mets lineup could be. This version of Bichette is certainly a lot of fun to watch, too.

NOT MISSING A BEAT

Since coming off the IL on June 9, Francisco Alvarez has made it his mission to lock right back in. The catcher has been swinging a hot bat since his return, and that continued in Cincinnati. After recording a hit in each of the first two games of the series, Alvarez really came alive in the series finale. He went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, driving in a run with an RBI single in the fifth inning. If the Mets are to go on the kind of run needed to salvage this season, Alvarez staying hot at the plate – and also staying healthy – will be vital.

Jun 16, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) looks to the video board during an ABS system challenge during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

SEEN ENOUGH

Is it fair to ask if the Kodai Senga experiment has already gone too far? Outside of a dream debut season in 2023, things have hardly gone well for Senga in Queens. And a lot of that has to do with his inability to stay healthy. Well, after returning from his latest stint on the IL on Tuesday, Senga delivered another clunker. He allowed four earned runs on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts over four innings, including giving up a pair of home runs. It is clear that Senga just does not have it anymore, and he’s now allowed 20 earned runs over his last four starts. The fact that he’s still in the rotation just highlights how big a letdown starting pitching has been for the Mets this year.

PLAN BACKFIRED

The front office hasn’t learned from its past mistakes when it came to pitching, and it is coming back to haunt the Mets right now. Starting pitching doomed this team in 2025, and history looks set to repeat itself in 2026. This team simply doesn’t have enough reliable starters. With that said, it also doesn’t help how the coaching staff and front office have handled certain pitchers. Take Tobias Myers, for instance. The righty was sent down to the minors in order to be stretched out as a starter. However, that never happened, and serving as the opener on Monday, Myers was shelled for seven earned runs on four hits over 1 1/3 horrific innings. The handling of Myers has proved to be an unmitigated disaster, as has the Mets’ approach to building a rotation for the second straight year.

MADDENINGLY INCONSISTENT 

Forget treading water, the Mets just continue to sink, and it is becoming increasingly frustrating to watch this team on a daily basis. There was some hope after the series win over the Braves, only for reality to hit after the Mets dropped the first two games to the Reds. They just can’t get out of their own way. Inconsistency is the biggest problem at play here. The offense was stagnant for the first two games, only to come alive in the series finale. Even in winning the series finale, the defense committed a number of blunders. The starting pitching, as detailed above, remains an absolute wild card from game to game. At this point, given their inability to put it all together, it would probably take a miracle for the Mets to salvage anything at all from this infuriating season.