Reds 5, Mets 2: Not Quite Wright

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

July 19, 2025 will be a day long-remembered in Mets history for the number retirement and team Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring David Wright. It will not be remembered for what transpired afterwards, which was a second frustrating loss to the Reds, going down 5-2 and losing the first two games of the series.

In a game that played out eerily similar to Friday’s 8-4 loss, the Mets grabbed an early 2-0 lead by scoring a run in each of the first two frames before the Reds surged ahead and sidestepped

a ninth-inning rally. It was fittingly two homegrown third baseman who put the Mets in front, with Mark Vientos delivering an RBI single in the first and Brett Baty lining a first-pitch fastball into the stands in the second. From that point on, the bats sputtered, squandering myriad opportunities with runners on base. The Mets’ best opportunity came in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and one out after a trio of walks to the bottom of the order. But Brandon Nimmo struck out while swinging out of his shoes and Francisco Lindor broke his bat while grounding out to first, drawing boos from a displeasured Citi Field crowd. In total, the team left eleven men on base, going 1-for-10 with RISP.

While the offense struggled to bring runs home, the defense coughed them up. With a man on first and second and nobody out in the top of the third, Luis Torrens — usually a surefire force behind the plate — made a rare blunder. After a missed bunt attempt by batter TJ Friedl, Torrens tried to catch Noelvi Marte sleeping at first base; instead, the ball bounced through Marte’s legs, past a backing-up Brett Baty, and into right field, allowing a run to score and prompting Marte to take third base. Marte would soon score on an RBI single by Matt McLain, tying the game at 2-2.

With David Wright in the booth for the top of the fourth, the Reds added another run against Clay Holmes on a Jake Fraley RBI single. Then, with a runner on first and second and one out in the top of the sixth, Tyler Stephenson hit what appeared to be an inning-ending double play to third. But Ronny Mauricio’s throw to second was wide, forcing Baty to hold the ball and settle for the fielder’s choice while the run scored. The next at-bat, Fraley (now on every fan’s future-Met-killer radar after an impressive 3-for-4 performance) scorched an RBI double down the right field line, making the score 5-2 in the Reds’ favor.

Though the box score won’t reflect it, Holmes gave the Mets a quality start in spirit, being charged with three of his four earned runs in innings shaped by subpar fielding. Still, the Mets’ problem getting length from their starting pitchers persisted, as Holmes was removed in the sixth inning after 92 pitches. Since June 13, no Mets starter other than David Peterson has recorded 6.0 IP in a game; the Mets are 10-20 during that span. During the team’s previous 30 games, Holmes recorded 6.0 IP five times, Kodai Senga did it three times, Griffin Canning did it twice, and Tylor Megill did it once; the Mets went 20-10 during that span. Even the return of Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga can’t serve as a remedy to this issue, as both are still building up their workloads and are yet to throw 70 pitches since returning from the Injured List. Holmes, meanwhile, will seemingly be monitored with a tighter leash as he is set to surpass 105 IP (150% of his previous career-high) next weekend in San Francisco.

The brightest spot in Saturday’s loss was the bullpen, which turned in 3.2 scoreless innings of work. Chris Devenski continued to impress, throwing a 1-2-3 ninth, while 37-year-old Brooks Raley punched out two in a stellar return after over a year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Raley had last pitched in the big leagues on April 19, 2024 at Dodger Stadium.

In the bottom of the ninth, a Luis Torrens single and Nimmo walk put two men on with nobody out, but the Mets’ late rally fell short — just as it had the night before. Lindor, who took a hard 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and five men left on base, hit into a fielder’s choice for the first out. On a day where the Mets drew several impressive walks (McNeil drew walks on eight pitches and seven pitches, while Torrens walked on twelve pitches), Soto nearly had one of his own on what appeared to be a pitch clock violation from Emilio Pagán, but the call was not made. Soto rocketed a pitch down the right-field line, sending a fleeting wave of excitement through the crowd, but the ball veered just foul. After Soto — who had matched a career-high with his twelfth stolen base earlier in the game — was called out on a questionable check swing and Pete Alonso flew out to right field, the comeback attempt had officially failed.

While the Mets couldn’t muster a walk-off on David Wright Day, the game’s final frame still produced a moment worth remembering: SNY’s shot of the former captain in his suite, surrounded by friends and family, experiencing the emotional rollercoaster from wide-eyed exhilaration to jaw-dropping disbelief as Soto’s shot went foul. Wright has said many times this weekend that he credits his loving relationship with Mets fans to his ability to relate to them; even on a day designed to distinguish him from the rest, perhaps Wright has never felt more like “one of us.”

The Mets will give the ball to David Peterson as they hope to avoid a sweep in the series finale on Sunday at 1:40 PM. There will be no number retirements.

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Win Probability Added

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Brett Baty, +15.5% WPA

Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -23.1% WPA

Mets pitchers: -26.3% WPA

Mets hitters: -23.7% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos’ first-inning RBI single, +10.6% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: Jake Fraley’s fourth-inning RBI single, -12.6% WPA

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