McLean Day in the Queen City: Mets Silence Reds in Great American Style in 9-1 Rout

Mets 9 Reds 1 (Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati OH)

Mets record: 33-41

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Nolan McLean (4-4)

LP - Nick Lodolo (2-2)

Seat on the Korner: Nolan McLean

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

For the second time this season—and the first time since April 4—Nolan McLean earns the coveted seat alongside Ralph on Kiner's Korner. After enduring the worst outing of his young major league career against Cincinnati on May 25, when he lasted just 3.1 innings and surrendered a career-high seven earned runs, McLean returned with a statement performance. The right-hander turned in seven brilliant innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while walking one and striking out a career-high nine on 101 pitches. He retired 27 batters, generated eight ground-ball outs, and lowered his ERA from 4.01 to 3.67. The outing served as the perfect example of how much a young pitcher can learn from adversity. Less than a month after the Reds roughed him up, McLean delivered seven innings of dominance against that same lineup, proving that sometimes the second time really is the charm.

Need to Know

• Deja-June the Mets, so far this month have started a week three straight times by dropping the first 2 games of a series (Seattle, St. Louis, and Cincinnati). Each time, they’ve managed to respond and win at least one game to stay afloat in the series, but consistency has been elusive.

• The Mets are 15-23 on the road in 2026. They have won four of their last seven road games. Last season, the Mets went 34-47 on the road.

• Through 23 career starts, McLean is 10-5 with a 3.09 ERA (45 ER/131.1 IP) and 154 strikeouts.

• The Reds handed the ball to Nick Lodolo, whose season numbers had already reflected some inconsistency. After entering the day with a 5.21 ERA and 6.07 FIP, the left-hander endured another difficult outing against the Mets. In just 4.2 innings, Lodolo was tagged for 11 hits and seven runs, all earned, while issuing two walks and striking out two. Ironically, one of his best starts of the season had come against New York earlier in the year when he limited the Mets to one run over six innings, but this time the Mets lineup turned the tables in emphatic fashion.

• Over the last 13 games, Bo Bichette is batting .436(24-55) with eleven runs, five doubles, one triple, three homers, 14 RBI, .He has recorded multiple hits

  over each of his last six games, batting .538 (14-26) with eight runs,

  three doubles, two homers, eight RBI.

• The Mets are now 11-8 over their last 19 games, and 23-20 over their last 43.

• The Mets have scored five or more runs in each of their last ten wins dating back to May 29 vs. Miami.

• Dating back to 9/24/13, the Reds are 29-48 vs NYM, including a 14-

  game losing streak from 9/7/14 to 9/7/16 that ranks as Cin’s longest-

  ever skid against the Mets and was its longest against any team since

  a 16-game losing streak vs AZ from 5/8/01 to 8/13/03

• The Mets’ .597 winning percentage (43-29) at Great American Ball

  Park is the highest of any National League team.

• Last season, the final Wild Card spot in the National League Postseason

  field came down to the Reds and Mets...although the 2 clubs each

  finished the year with an 83-79 record, Cin earned its first trip to the

  Postseason since 2020 by virtue of winning the season series.

Turning Point

After grabbing a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, the Mets appeared poised to give it right back in the bottom half of the inning.

Noelvi Marte opened the frame by flying out, but trouble quickly followed. Jose Trevino reached when Mark Vientos was unable to handle Zack Short's throw at first, putting a runner aboard. Matt McLain then lined a double to center, moving Trevino to third. Following a hit-by-pitch to Edwin Arroyo, the Reds suddenly had the bases loaded with one out and were threatening to erase New York's advantage.

Things became even more precarious when J.J. Bleday drove a ball to center that looked destined to bring home the tying run and potentially more. Instead, A.J. Ewing raced it down and made a diving catch, taking away a hit and preventing McLain from advancing beyond second while Arroyo remained at first. Trevino scored on the sacrifice fly, trimming the Mets' lead to 3-1, but Ewing's play prevented what could have been a much bigger inning.

With runners still on first and second, Sal Stewart followed with a ground ball that resulted in a force play at third to end the threat. Thanks largely to Ewing's outstanding defensive effort, the Mets escaped an inning that had the potential to unfold very differently.

Three Keys

Threes Company

If you’re old enough to hear the theme song in your head, you already know where this is going—because the Mets’ Come and Knock on my door version of “Three’s Company” was strictly about production, not sitcom confusion. The trio of Bo Bichette, Juan Soto, and Francisco Álvarez absolutely set the tone in a 15-hit offensive outburst, finishing a combined 9-for-14 with six runs scored and four RBIs. Bichette stayed locked in at the top, continuing his hot stretch with line-drive consistency, while Soto did what Soto does—getting on base, driving the ball, and forcing pitchers to work from behind. Álvarez added the finishing punch as the designated hitter today . When those three are rolling together, the Mets offense doesn’t just function—it hums, and on this night it sounded a lot like a hit-heavy hit parade.

Double and Triple Trouble : Ewing and Benge Add to the Offensive Outburst

The Mets also got a lift from two of their young contributors who continue to show they’re not just along for the ride. A.J. Ewing delivered another strong day at the plate, picking up his fifth double of the season while driving in a pair of runs, showing a knack for coming through with runners in scoring position. Carson Benge added his own extra-base impact, notching his second triple of the year and coming around to score once as part of the Mets’ 15-hit attack. For a pair of rookies still carving out their roles, days like this stand out—not just for the stat line, but for the way they’re beginning to consistently impact a major league lineup.

Pen Raley Warren(ts) Praise

Yeah yeah, I know it’s not spelled right, but you don’t spell relief Rolaids either—and this season, the Mets bullpen hasn’t exactly had fans reaching for the antacids. In a year that’s had more twists than an Agatha Christie novel, the pen has quietly been one of the more reliable storylines, stringing together scoreless innings when the rest of the script hasn’t always cooperated. Today was another example, as Brooks Raley and Austin Warren each delivered a scoreless inning of relief, keeping the Reds from building any late momentum. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t dramatic—but it was exactly what this team needed, and exactly what this bullpen has been delivering more often than not.

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