Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets Series Preview

After a terrific series in Chicago against the Cubs, the Reds will stay on the road and travel to New York City to take on the Mets. The Mets might be a first-place team at the moment, but they are not one of the top teams in the National League.

Cincinnati has improved their record to 54-49 on the year with three wins in Chicago, but they haven’t been able to make up much ground in the divisional race. Trying to track down the Milwaukee Brewers has proven to be a challenge, and the Reds need to keep stacking wins.

New York still has a slight lead on the NL East field, but it seems as if some of their competition is waving the white flag. The Mets come into this series with a record of 54-47, but they have gone an impressive 32-18 at home.

Votto, Reds Heating Up

Joey Votto has now homered in six straight games for the Reds, and he was a big reason for the team winning the series at Wrigley Field. Votto has gone on these stretches in his career before, and the Reds need to keep riding his hot hand as long as possible.

Cincinnati continues to be one of the best offensive teams in baseball, and this team has plenty of power. The Reds are currently playing without Nick Castellanos, but they have enough other pieces to provide the Mets with a challenge this weekend.

Pitching has gotten better for the Reds of late, especially in the starting rotation. Sonny Gray will start for the Reds in the series opener, and he has the ability to pitch the Reds to a victory to begin the weekend series.

Mets Can Pitch

The Mets have a team ERA of just 3.58 this season, and there aren’t many holes on that pitching staff. Jacob DeGrom being out of the rotation is a huge plus to the Reds, but the Mets still have plenty of capable starters to throw in this series.

New York continues to struggle to score runs as they are the second-lowest scoring team in baseball. The Mets don’t do a very good job of stringing hits together, but this team could be adding some reinforcements at the Trade Deadline.

The Mets win games by shutting down opponents, but that’s not easy to do against the Reds.

Series Win in Play

Taking a weekend trip to New York to face the Mets is usually a tough task, but the Mets won’t be sending Jacob DeGrom to the mound. New York can really pitch, but there are some questions and concerns about that staff at this time.

The Reds were terrific at the plate this week in Chicago, and Joey Votta is playing his best baseball of the season. If Votto continues to put up big offensive numbers, then the Reds have the offense to go into New York and win at least two games.

This is a chance for the Reds to prove that they can compete with the top teams in baseball, but it won’t be easy.