Many Mets fans lamented the All-Star break because it created a lull in the baseball action. In New York’s most recent series in Pittsburgh, there was plenty of action both on and off the field.

Off the field, Francisco Lindor landed on the injured list with a grade two oblique strain, and Jacob deGrom joined Lindor on the injured list with forearm discomfort. These are two huge blows for the Mets, and the potential timeframe for a return for both players is not certain (though Lindor will likely be out at least six weeks).

On the field, the three games in Pittsburgh provided quite a bit to discuss. The Mets lost a listless effort on Friday night, then put in significant effort to lose on Saturday. They had a 6-0 lead in the eighth inning before losing in walk-off fashion on a grand slam home run. On Sunday, the Mets found themselves down 6-0 in the first inning, yet rallied to win on a Michael Conforto home run in the ninth. The weekend at PNC Park left the fan base with more than they bargained for, with most of the happenings going in the negative column.

Now the Mets (48-42, first place in the National League’s eastern division) will continue their road trip with three games in Cincinnati against manager David Bell‘s Reds (48-45, second place in the National League’s central division). The Mets are clinging to a slim two-game lead over the Phillies and a four-game lead over the Braves (three and five games in the loss column, respectively).

The weather for the series looks good, which is a welcome change, with highs in the 80s and fair weather expected. Let’s take a look at the projected pitching matchups.

Monday, July 19: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-1) NYM vs RHP Vladimir Gutierrez CIN (4-3), 7:10 pm

Eickhoff in 2021: GS: 3, ERA: 4.97, IP: 12 2/3, SO: 6, WHIP: 1.66

Gutierrez in 2021: G: 9, ERA: 4.29, IP: 50 1/3, SO: 36, WHIP: 1.35

Eickhoff is being pressed into service due to a shortage of rotation arms. In his prior two starts (against Atlanta and Washington), the right-hander has experienced mixed results. On June 21 against the Braves, he tossed four innings and did not allow a run. However, on June 28, he served up four home runs against the Nationals (five earned runs overall) in six innings pitched. He was designated for assignment after the game and has returned to the Mets.

Gutierrez, from Cuba, is a 26-year-old rookie. He’s not a big strikeout pitcher and has struggled with his control at times, allowing 23 walks in his 50 1/3 innings pitched. So far in July, he has thrown 12 innings and allowed three earned runs.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Tuesday, July 20: Undecided NYM vs LHP Wade Miley (7-4) CIN 7:10 pm

Miley in 2021: GS: 16, ERA: 2.80, IP: 96 1/3, SO: 76 WHIP: 1.16

Manager Luis Rojas announced after Sunday’s game that the Mets do not know who will start on Tuesday night. An option could be a bullpen game, however, the Mets used their bullpen heavily on Sunday and that could create a problem. Another option would be to recall right-hander Robert Stock, who was sent down after his last start.

Miley has a career record of 92-89 over 11 seasons. He has been with the Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Astros, and is now in his second season in Cincinnati. His best year was 2019 in Houston, when he went 14-6 with a 3.98 ERA.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Jul 16, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday, July 21: RHP Marcus Stroman (6-8) NYM vs RHP Jeff Hoffman (3-4) CIN, 12:35 pm

Stroman in 2021: GS: 19, ERA: 2.79, IP: 103 1/3, SO: 86, WHIP: 1.14

Hoffman in 2021: GS: 10, ERA: 4.61, IP: 41, SO: 39, WHIP: 1.59

Stroman opened the second half for the Mets on Friday night in Pittsburgh, going five innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits. He also was the focal point of controversy, as he and John Nogowski of the Pirates exchanged words resulting in a benches-clearing incident. Overall, Stroman has had a very good season for the Mets despite his 6-8 record. With the uncertain state of the Mets’ rotation, the team will lean on veterans Stroman and Taijuan Walker for lengthy starts whenever either takes the mound.

Hoffman is in his sixth season, having been with Colorado from 2016-20. He has a career record of 13-20 to go along with a 6.13 ERA, 236 strikeouts, 305 hits allowed, and 134 walks in 271 1/3 innings. Clearly, he allows a significant amount of traffic on the bases, and the Mets will look to take advantage of that (though the Mets struggle with runners in scoring position).

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Series Notes for Mets

Mets by the numbers, with MLB rankings (through 7/17):

BA .230 (23rd)

HR 91 (26th)

SLG .375 (27th)

OPS .688 (25th)

Team ERA 3.51 (6th)

Starters’ ERA 2.95 (1st)

Relievers’ ERA 4.31 (17th)

Mets’ full team statistics may be viewed here.

Series Notes for Reds

Reds by the numbers, with MLB rankings (through 7/17):

BA .247 (7th)

HR 115 (12th)

SLG .413 (10th)

OPS .743 (10th)

Team ERA 4.45 (21st)

Starters’ ERA 3.88 (9th)

Relievers’ ERA 5.29(27th)

Reds’ full team statistics may be viewed here.

As of July 18, Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, and Alex Blandino are on the injured list.

Jesse Winker is slashing .293/.375/.524 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI.

Joey Votto is slashing .249/.345/.449 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI.

The Reds will be a test for the Mets. They hit the ball well and play in a hitter’s haven called Great American Ballpark. The Mets are thin on pitching and are cobbling together the first two games of the series in terms of who will be starting. New York will have to find a way to keep the Reds offense down to give its own hitters a chance to take advantage of the hitter-friendly dimensions.

The Reds’ bullpen seems to be their Achilles’ heel, so if the Mets can get to the Reds’ starters, they may be set up for success in the series.

After the day game on Wednesday, the Mets will take Thursday off before returning to Citi Field on Friday night to open three-game series against the hard-hitting Toronto Blue Jays.