Mets, Reds square off in key NL wild-card battle

For much of August, the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds looked as if they would be the two teams competing for the final National League wild-card spot.

But omnipresent issues for the Mets and Reds -- as well as the presence of the surging San Francisco Giants -- means this weekend's series in Cincinnati is anything but an unofficial play-in for the last playoff berth.

New York visits Cincinnati for the opener of a pivotal three-game set Friday night.

David Peterson (8-5, 3.61 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against fellow left-hander Andrew Abbott (8-5, 2.65 ERA) in a battle of All-Stars.

Both teams were off Thursday after suffering lopsided defeats Wednesday, when the visiting Mets fell to the Detroit Tigers 6-2 while the host Reds lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-9.

For the Mets (75-65), the loss cost them a chance to sweep the American League Central-leading Tigers and move into a tie with the San Diego Padres (76-64) for the second NL wild-card spot.

The Mets are four games ahead of the Giants (71-69), who have won 10 of their last 11 games, and five games ahead of the Reds (70-70).

Another laborious performance by their pitchers also served as a reminder of how the Mets' perch remains precarious despite the multi-game lead over the Giants.

New York is 11-7 since Aug. 16, a game behind San Francisco for the best record in the NL in that span. But five of those wins have come in games started by rookies Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, both of whom began August in the minors.

Clay Holmes lasted just 4 2/3 innings Wednesday, which marked the 11th time in the last 18 games a Mets starter has thrown five or fewer innings. New York is reportedly planning to promote another rookie, Brandon Sproat, to start Sunday in place of Kodai Senga, who may be sent to the minor leagues after posting a 6.56 ERA in his last eight starts.

"Everything's on the table," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Wednesday's game. "There's a lot going on right now."

Not much of what's going on is positive for the Reds, who were a half-game behind the Mets through Aug. 14. But Cincinnati has gone an NL-worst 6-12 since then, a span in which it has been outscored 104-80 while being leapfrogged by the Giants.

The defeat Wednesday was doubly frustrating and familiar for the Reds, who squandered a 5-0 first inning lead against former American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber.

Cincinnati's downturn began with a 10-8 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 15 in which the Reds blew an 8-1 lead. A win that night would have lifted them past the Mets into the final wild-card spot.

Cincinnati has held a lead in nine of its last 12 losses. The Reds never led in a 12-9 loss Tuesday, when they pulled within two runs three times after falling behind 8-1 in the second inning.

"We're probably extremely fortunate that we get to play a team that's in front of us," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "Saying that, we've got to beat them. But it's our chance."

Neither Peterson nor Abbott factored into the decision in their most recent starts last Saturday. Peterson gave up a career-high eight runs over two-plus innings as the Mets fell to the Miami Marlins, 11-8, while Abbott allowed two runs over five innings in the Reds' 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Peterson is 0-1 with a 4.34 ERA in four career starts against the Reds. Abbott is 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in three starts against the Mets.

--Field Level Media