New York @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 25, 2011 ) NY Mets 4, Cincinnati 2
THE STORY: The Cincinnati Reds can look at their August schedule with hope. It begins with series against the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals – teams that are all under .500. The Reds would like to get to that point on an upswing, but their see-saw season continues without a three-game win streak since mid June. Johnny Cueto will try to get the Reds moving forward again Tuesday night against Jon Niese and the visiting New York Mets. The pesky Mets are unlikely to make the postseason, but they have a better record than the Reds after their 4-2 triumph Monday.
TV: 7:10 p.m. EST; SNY (New York), FS-Ohio (Cincinnati).
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jon Niese (9-8. 3.76 ERA) vs. Reds RH Johnny Cueto (6-3, 1.98 ERA).
Niese gave up five runs - three earned - over six innings and took the loss in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. He has allowed three or less earned runs in 16 of his 20 starts and is 8-4 since May 1. Niese is 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA lifetime against the Reds over 13 2/3 innings. Brandon Phillips is 4-for-7 with two homers in his career against Niese.
Cueto defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last start on Wednesday, allowing one run over six innings. He is 4-1 since June 1 and the league is batting just .198 against him in 2011. Cueto is 0-2 against the Mets in his career, with an 8.14 ERA over 21 innings. David Wright is 4-for-11 with a homer against Cueto.
ABOUT THE METS (51-51): Wright has made quite a splash with the bat since returning from the disabled list, where he resided for more than two months. Wright is 8-for-19 with six RBIs after singling twice Monday. Daniel Murphy may not be a good fielder, but he continues to hit for the Mets. Murphy is 6-for-16 with four RBIs in the last four games to raise his average to .308. Justin Turner has hit in seven straight and is 19-for-52 (.365) over the last 12 contests. Carlos Beltran has an RBI in four straight games.
ABOUT THE REDS (50-52): Cincinnati got its big guns up in big spots Monday, but came up empty. Jay Bruce struck out with two outs and two on in the seventh and Phillips, who is 6-for-17 with five RBIs the last four games, struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. Joey Votto, who did not start, also flew out as a pinch hitter with a man on in the eighth. He is 2-for-18 the last six games. There is some good news. Outfielder Chris Heisey had an MRI on his left shoulder that came back negative. He was sore after hitting the outfield wall while trying to chase down a fly ball Sunday.
FINAL PITCH: Francisco Cordero of the Reds (309) and Jason Isringhausen of the Mets (296) trail only Mariano Rivera among active leaders in career saves. Isringhausen collected his first three saves of the season and a win in his last four outings. Cordero is 19-of-24 in save opportunities in 2011.