Series Preview: Mets Look to Even Season Series With Reds

One orange-and-blue New York team just capped off an amazing run with a championship. Can the New York Mets channel the power of the Knicks in response?

After winning the series against the Atlanta Braves, the Mets are set to take on a National League foe in the Cincinnati Reds. New York is chasing the Reds in the standings, and the series offers the perfect opportunity to do so.

Can New York fare well against the Reds this week? And who needs to perform well for the Mets to do so?

It is time for another early-week series preview, so without further ado, let us dive into it!

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Monday: Tobias Myers </a>”>Tobias Myers (0-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. Chase Burns (7-1, 2.14 ERA)

Called back up to the major leagues, Tobias Myers is set to begin New York’s crucial series against the Reds. Despite holding a 4.05 ERA on the year, Myers has had multiple good outings for the Mets in relief and as an opener. He has 26 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched, with his fastball and splitter being his two main putaway pitches. Additionally, Myers does not walk batters at a high rate, as he holds a 5.2% walk rate. Monday’s outing is the perfect opportunity for Myers to lay the foundation for the rest of his 2026 season, and I am intrigued to see how he handles the outing.
New York faces their toughest task of the series on Monday, as Chase Burns is set to take the mound. The right-hander has pitched at a Cy Young-level in 2026, notching a 2.14 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched. Burns dominates batters with his fastball and slider, with the slider resulting in 60 strikeouts alone. Burns can get tagged with some hard contact, as he has allowed a barrel rate of 9.6%. To win this game, the Mets will need their best overall effort of the series.

Tuesday: TBD vs. Brady Singer (2-6, 5.61 ERA)

Christian Scott was supposed to take the mound on Tuesday, but instead landed on the injured list on Monday. The Mets can opt for David Peterson in a bulk role, or look to their Triple-A core once more.
Brady Singer has had a rough go of things in 2026, to say the least. While not walking batters at a high rate, Singer has allowed a barrel rate of 11.8%, has a strikeout rate of only 16.6%, and has an average fastball velocity under 92.0 miles per hour. New York needs to be aggressive and jump all over Singer in Tuesday’s game; if they do, they will have a great chance to win.

Wednesday: Nolan McLean (3–4, 4.01 ERA) vs. Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.21 ERA)

It was a rough month of May for Nolan McLean, and things have still been a bit shaky in June. After a nice outing against the Padres, McLean only lasted four innings against the Atlanta Braves on June 12. Despite striking out six batters, the right-hander walked four batters and gave up two runs. At his best, McLean still has some of the best pure stuff in the majors, and even with his struggles, he has only struck out fewer than four batters one time this season. However, the walks and command issues have arguably been the main reason he has not been dominant lately. McLean, despite his success, is still working through his first full season with the Mets. I think the right-hander will find his footing once again, and I think facing the Reds is a great opportunity to have that occur.
To wrap up this series, the Mets will face an old foe in Nick Lodolo. Outside of mowing down the Mets back on May 25, Lodolo has allowed at least two earned runs in every start. He is allowing hard contact, has not had the best command, and is not generating whiffs as he did back in 2025. To win this game, New York needs to be selective and not get the lefty out of trouble easily. In my opinion, this game will be a nice barometer of where the Mets are heading for the rest of 2026.

The Main Storyline

Ahead of this series, my main storyline is still all about the Mets’ chase of the NL Wild Card.

After taking two of three games from the Atlanta Braves, New York sits 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. In the next few weeks, the Mets still have three games against the Reds, six games against the Phillies, and four against the Cubs.

As I said last week, this stretch could vault New York back into the playoff discussion. If they can continue to hit and find some rhythm with their pitching, the Mets could easily be right back in the thick of things. If New York cannot continue the positive momentum it has built, a fire sale looks all but likely to come mid-July.

Can the Mets channel the grit and mettle of the world champion New York Knicks? Or will they falter as they have many times this season? This stretch will likely determine which way the season goes, and that is why it is my main headline of the week.

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Player to Watch

In the latest early week series for the Mets, I am concentrating on Nolan McLean.

For New York to truly get back into the playoff discussion, they need their best players to play at their highest possible level. That truly goes for McLean, who has had his struggles lately.

The right-hander needs to combine his strikeout prowess with better command and location consistently. He needs to find a way to avoid giving opponents the opportunity to attack specific pitches, which mostly comes down to dishing out fewer walks.

Just as New York’s lineup has dictated the team’s failures and successes, McLean’s outings have had the same impact on the pitching side of things. For this week and beyond, I am fascinated to see how the right-handed pitcher fares.