Reds at Mets
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier had quite the homecoming in
the opener of a two-game series with the New York Mets on Wednesday. A
native of nearby Toms River, N.J., Frazier had about 40 family and
friends in attendance and responded with his first career two-homer game
to lift the Reds to 6-3 victory. Frazier was an unlikely star after
going 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts in his previous five games and
fanning out twice in his first two at-bats Wednesday. Cincinnati goes
for a two-game sweep Thursday.
Frazier’s heroics came at the
expense of Mets reliever D.J. Carrasco, who served up the two-run homer
in the eighth inning and also was taken deep the previous night against
Milwaukee. Following the game, Carrasco was designated for assignment
after pitching to a 7.36 ERA in four appearances. New York’s last three
relievers yielded four runs on four hits in two innings, a stark
contrast to Cincinnati’s bullpen trio that allowed one hit and struck
out four in three innings.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Mat Latos (2-2, 4.54 ERA) vs. Mets RH R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.65)
Latos
has struggled to put together strong back-to-back efforts. While he
allowed one run on three hits in a 2-1 loss to Washington in his last
outing, he lasted only five innings and issued a season-high five walks
while throwing 59 of 109 pitches for strikes. He is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA
in three career starts against the Mets, holding them to a .156 batting
average.
Dickey was not at his best in his last start but
persevered to win his third straight decision. The knuckleballer allowed
two runs on a season high-tying nine hits in six innings at Miami. He
failed to record a strikeout for the first time since Sept. 19, 2010. He
won his only career start against the Reds, giving up two runs in six
innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman hasn't allowed a run in 19 1/3 innings this season. He has 34 strikeouts and five walks.
2.
New York saw two hitting streaks come to an end Wednesday. Daniel
Murphy had his end at 11 and David Wright's was snapped at nine.
3. Mets right fielder Lucas Duda had three hits Wednesday and is 6-for-13 lifetime against the Reds.