Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Monday, July 19, 2021 • 7:10 P.M.
Great American Ball Park • Cincinnati, OH
RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 4.97) vs. RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (4-3, 4.29)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • WFAN 92.7 FM
The Mets head to Ohio looking for two wins in a row!
The Pirates built a 6-0 lead in the first inning on Sunday. The inning was bizarre with a fair dribbler being swiped off the line by Walker, allowing three runs to score. It was barely fair and manager Luis Rojas got tossed for arguing the call. The rest of the game was a reverse of the game from the Sunday before the All-Star break – an exorcism of a terrible day, if you will. The Mets clawed back scoring a run in the third before getting three from Travis Blankenhorn’s first career homer in the fourth. Michael Conforto had his biggest hit of the year with a two-run, go-ahead homer in the ninth inning, finally giving the Mets the lead. What. A. Day.
Mets Lineup
- Brandon Nimmo — CF
- Pete Alonso — 1B
- Jeff McNeil — 2B
- Dominic Smith — LF
- J.D. Davis — 3B
- Michael Conforto — RF
- Tomas Nido — C
- Luis Guillorme — SS
- Jerad Eickhoff — SP
Reds Lineup
- Jonathan India — 2B
- Jesse Winker — LF
- Tyler Stephenson — C
- Joey Votto — 1B
- Tyler Naquin — RF
- Eugenio Suarez — 3B
- Shogo Akiyama — CF
- Kyle Farmer — SS
- Vladimir Gutierrez — SP
So, New York maintains its two-game lead in the division as Jerad Eickhoff returns to pitch for the Mets. In three games (two starts) this year, Eickhoff has pitched 12 2/3 innings with a 4.97 ERA, 9.33 FIP, 1.66 WHIP and an 80 ERA+. If you watched any Eickhoff starts you know the main concern, which is hitters are making hard contact. Hard contact is a way to eventually get into trouble. The Reds have the following numbers against Eickhoff:
- Tyler Naquin 2-3, 3B, K
- Joey Votto 1-4, HR, BB
- Tucker Barnhart 1-4, 2B
- Euegnio Suarez 1-6, 2 K
The Mets bats will get a look at rookie Vladimir Gutierrez, who is making his 10th career start. In his first nine starts (50 1/3 innings), he has a 4.29 ERA, 5.30 FIP, 1.35 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. He’s had a good July, allowing three earned runs, 10 hits, and four walks over 12 innings. Before this stretch, he allowed 14 runs over 15 1/3 innings (three starts). This will be his first start against New York and it will be the first time anyone on the Mets have seen the right-hander in a major league game.
It was also announced prior to Monday’s game that Rojas is getting suspended for two games and an undisclosed fine for his “excessive arguing with the umpires” in Sunday’s finale against Pittsburgh.
Let’s Go Mets!
