Showalter Ejected In Mets’ 7-6 Loss To Reds

The New York Mets (17-19) lost to the Cincinnati Reds (15-20) 7-6 on Tuesday night. David Peterson got a spot start for New York after Max Scherzer skipped his start due to neck spasms. Luke Weaver — who entered Tuesday night with a 7.68 ERA — got the start for the Reds, looking to improve his lackluster numbers.

The Reds got to Peterson immediately, and began the offensive-heavy night in the bottom of the first. Nick Senzel got Cincinnati rolling with a one-out double and reached third base after Spencer Steer grounded out. Tyler Stephenson followed with a two-out single up the middle to drive in Senzel and gave the Reds a 1-0 lead.

Peterson’s struggles continued in the bottom of the second, and put runners on second and third with nobody out to start the inning. Luke Maile failed to bring a runner in after striking out, but Jonathan India got the job done by grounding out to increase the Reds’ lead to 2-0. Senzel followed with a ground ball single, which brought Cincinnati’s lead to 3-0.

The Mets retaliated in the top of the third behind the bat of Francisco Álvarez. The rookie catcher launched a solo home run to center field, cutting the Mets deficit to 3-1.

The Reds got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. Peterson induced a line-out from TJ Friedl to start the inning, but got into trouble afterward. Maile lined a one-out double to center field, and then came home after India hit a consecutive double to increase the Reds’ lead to 4-1. India’s double knocked Peterson out of the game, who was shaky in his spot start. The left-hander allowed four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, which increased his ERA to 7.68.

The Reds bombarded the Mets in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs in the inning which was fueled by a questionable play. In his second inning of work, Stephen Nogosek allowed a one-out single to Will Myers, who prompted the controversy in the fifth. Running to second base after Kevin Newman hit a ground ball to Francisco Lindor, Myers appeared to slap the shortstop’s glove. The umpires didn’t call obstruction on the play, leading the Buck Showalter’s first ejection as a New York Met. Friedl — the very next batter — tripled into the gap, driving in Myers and Newman to increase the Reds’ lead to 6-1.  One batter later, India drove in another run in the inning to bring Cincinnati’s lead to 7-1.

New York’s comeback attempt started in the bottom of the sixth, led again by Álvarez. The 21-year-old clubbed his second solo home run of the game, cutting the Mets deficit to 7-2. Pete Alonso followed Álvarez in the top of the seventh, drilling a solo home run to right field to cut the Reds’ lead to 7-3. It was Alonso’s 12th home run of the season, which brought him back into a first-place tie in the National League with Max Muncy.

The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the seventh after Alonso’s home run. However, New York wasn’t able to capitalize, and only scored one run after Mark Canha grounded into a double play to make the score 7-4.

New York continued the long climb back in the bottom of the eighth. With one on and nobody out, Lindor drilled a two-run home run into the second deck to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 7-6. The Mets loaded the bases again for a consecutive inning, but Luis Guillorme struck out to end the inning.

Alexis Díaz held down the Reds’ lead from there. He set the Mets down in order in the bottom of the ninth, recording a multi-inning save and notching his seventh save of the year. The Met’s comeback fell short as they lost eight of their last ten games, and fell into third place following Tuesday’s loss.

Player of the Game: Francisco Álvarez

Álvarez had a stellar game in Tuesday night’s loss, clubbing two solo home runs in four at-bats. The Venezuelan looks more comfortable in May and now has a .725 OPS after his big game on Tuesday night.

On Deck

Justin Verlander takes the mound for his second start on Wednesday against the Reds. The former Tiger was solid against his old team, striking out five batters across five innings, while only allowing two earned runs.

The hard-throwing Hunter Greene takes the mound for the Reds and has looked better in his sophomore season. The right-hander has a ridiculous 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and has only allowed three home runs in 33 2/3 innings in 2023.

First pitch on Wednesday night is slated for 6:40 p.m. ET. The game is available to watch on SNY and can be listened to on WCBS 880.