Game Chat: Reds vs Mets, 7:10 PM

Friday, July 18, 2025 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Nick Lodolo (6-6, 3.38) vs. LHP Sean Manaea (0-1, 2.70)
SNY

Mets baseball is back!

The Mets are half a game out of first place in the NL East and 13 games above .500 to start the second half. After stumbling in the second half of June, the Mets have been better of late. Heading into the All-Star break, the Mets got Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga back from injury, as well as the best start we’ve seen from Frankie Montas vs. the Kansas City Royals. There were also some signs that Mark Vientos was turning things around.

The Reds are in fourth place in the NL Central, but they have a winning record at 50-47. If the season ended today, the Milwaukee Brewers, Mets and San Diego Padres would each get a Wild Card spot in that order. The Mets are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Padres, while the Reds are 2 1/2 games back of San Diego.

This is a big series for the Reds, who are trying to narrow their deficit in the Wild Card standings a bit heading into the trade deadline.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Mark Vientos – DH
3. Juan Soto – RF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Brandon Nimmo – LF
6. Ronny Mauricio – 3B
7. Jeff McNeil – 2B
8. Tyrone Taylor – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Sean Manaea makes his first start of the year at Citi Field tonight. He looked excellent in his opening outing of the season right before the All-Star break on July 13, pitching 3 1/3 innings while allowing one run on five hits and striking out seven against the Royals, who drafted him in 2013. At one point, he even struck out five batters in a row.

Manaea had two starts against the Reds in 2024. In his first one, which came at Great American Ballpark on April 7, he held them to one run and three hits over five innings. In September at Citi Field, Manaea allowed four runs on three hits, including two home runs, across 6 2/3 innings.

The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Will Benson 0-1
• Elly De La Cruz 2-5, HR, K
• Santiago Espinal 0-3, 2 K
• Jake Fraley 0-4, 3 BB
• TJ Friedl 2-5, HR, 2 K
• Austin Hays 2-6, HR, 2 K
• Connor Joe 0-8, BB, K
• Matt McLain 0-1, BB
• Spencer Steer 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Tyler Stephenson 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Jose Trevino 1-8, 2B, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

1. TJ Friedl – CF
2. Matt McLain – 2B
3. Elly De La Cruz – SS
4. Austin Hays – LF
5. Spencer Steer – 1B
6. Noelvi Marte – 3B
7. Tyler Stephenson – DH
8. Jose Trevino – C
9. Santiago Espinal – RF

The Mets’ bats will get the second half started against Nick Lodolo, who is having a career year. Over 19 starts and 106 2/3 innings, he has a 3.38 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.106 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. Lodolo is coming off of a strong start where he shut out the Miami Marlins over six innings on June 10 while striking out four batters. In his last five outings, he has a 2.28 ERA and a 4.35 FIP. He’s also allowed eight home runs over his last seven starts.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Lodolo:

• Pete Alonso 0-2, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-1, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, HR, K

Game Notes

• Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters before the game that right-handed pitcher Max Kranick will officially undergo Tommy John surgery. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo later added that Kranick may avoid TJ and instead have his flexor tendon repaired, which would make for a quicker recovery process.
• The Mets reinstated left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the 60-day injured list and placed him on the 26-man roster. In a corresponding move, they designated fellow southpaw Richard Lovelady for assignment. Click here for more!
• Mendoza stated that Jesse Winker (back) will be shut down for another week-plus after receiving an epidural injection, while Starling Marte (knee) is progressing and doing baseball activities.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Getting Plunked. Surprise, surprise – the Mets are leading the league in getting hit by pitches. They have been plunked 57 times this season. This isn’t new, as the Mets were third in the league in 2024 (92 times), second in 2023 (107) and first in 2022 (112). They are facing Lodolo tonight, who is leading the league with 11 hit batters. He also led the league in 2022 (19). Let’s put 11 hit batsmen in perspective: the Reds as a team have hit 39. Anyway, the Mets need to stay safe at the plate tonight.
2. Pete Alonso. The countdown is on for Alonso! He is sitting at 247 home runs, five back from Darryl Strawberry’s franchise-leading mark of 252. Alonso has had more home run success on the road this season, hitting 13 bombs with a .553 slugging percentage compared to eight homers and a .509 slugging percentage at home (50 away games vs. 47 at home). He is having a phenomenal season so far, leading the NL in doubles (26), and he has already accumulated 3.0 bWAR (2.6 last season). He’s also coming off a huge All-Star game where he smacked a three-run home run.
3. Mark Vientos. Vientos was starting to put things together right before the All-Star break. Over his last five games, he has gone 7-for-19 at the plate (.368/.368/.579) with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs. This mini hot streak has raised his season slash line from .210/.272/.341 to .223/.280/.361. Under the hood, Vientos has had an average exit velocity of 90.9 mph (67th percentile) and is hitting the ball hard 48% of the time (79th percentile). While the rest of his Baseball Savant page is blue, there are signs that he’s starting to turn his 2025 around!
4. BONUS. This is for fans heading to Citi Field this weekend. The Wok N’ Roll stand behind center field has a rotating egg roll for each opponent this season. They’re bringing out the knock-off Skyline (or Gold Star, I’m not weighing in on this debate) this weekend. The roll, which they advertised in April, has chili and spaghetti in it.

Let’s go Mets!

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