Game Recap: Mets Drop Opener to Reds in Walk-off Fashion, 3-0

No one ever expects to see a pitcher’s duel at the Great American Ballpark, but that’s exactly what Mat Latos and Chris Young engaged in tonight, as neither pitching staff gave up runs until the bottom of the ninth inning. There were limited chances for the Mets to take the lead, but they couldn’t cash in on any as they watched themselves get shut out.

Mets Offensive Highlights:

While only mustering six hits on the night, the Mets had eight opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position, and couldn’t come through at all, leaving a total of 10 men on base. They loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, but it was up to Chris Young to get the big hit, and he lined out to Brandon Phillips instead. Josh Thole singled to lead off the seventh and moved to second with one out, but neither Ruben Tejada or Mike Baxtercould bring him across home. New York even threatened in the ninth with runners on second and third, but it wasn’t meant to be, as the Reds bullpen did a good job in relief of Mat Latos.

Reds Offensive Highlights:

Any night when your team collects 11 hits, one would hope that a lot of runs were on the board as well. That was not the case tonight for Cincinnati, as they went 1-for-10 with RISP, stranding 14 runners. One of their biggest chances came in the sixth, where they loaded the bases with two outs, prompting Terry Collins to sub Chris Young for Ramon Ramirez, who induced a groundout from Drew Stubbs to end the inning. The ninth-inning rally was a quick one, as Brandon Phillips led it off with a walk, then Ryan Ludwick singled in front of Jay Bruce, who ended the game with his 23rd homer of the year.

Pitching Highlights:

Chris Young allowed a lot of base runners tonight, but it ended up not hurting him, as he went 5.2 shutout innings, allowing 8 hits and 4 walks to go along with his 4 strikeouts. Ramirez bailed him out in the sixth, and Bobby Parnell and Jon Rauch both contributed scoreless innings before Manny Acosta and Josh Edgin couldn’t record an out in the ninth.

Mat Latos was just as good, as he went 7 shutout innings in the no decision, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks on 4 strikeouts. Sean Marshall pitched a spotless inning and Jose Arredendo pitched a scoreless ninth and ended up earning his fifth win of the year.

The loss drops the Mets to a season-low six games under .500, as they currently stand at 55-61. They are now 17 games behind the first place Nationals, and 9 games out of the Wild Card.

Probable Pitchers Wednesday:

R.A. Dickey (15-3, 2.72 ERA) will go for his league-leading 16th win as Mike Leake (4-7, 4.51 ERA) hopes to give Cincinnati the series victory. First pitch at Great American Ballpark is set for 8:10pm EST.