Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets Series Preview

After being on the road for the last nine games, the Cincinnati Reds will return home to Great American Ball Park for their final homestand of 2015. Their seven-game homestand will start by hosting the New York Mets for a four-game series. The Reds are meeting the Mets for the second time this year after being swept by New York in a three-game series back in June.

Game 1
9/24 7:10 p.m. EST
NYM: Steven Matz (4-0, 1.80)
CIN: Josh Smith (0-2, 7.71)

Matz is getting the start for the Mets and is making his fourth start since returning from a latissimus dorsi muscle tear that put him out for two months. Matz is also making his second start against the Reds this year, after getting a win against Cincinnati and Smith on June 28. In that game, Matz pitched 7 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. Both of the runs the Reds scored came from home runs off the bats of Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier. Phillips and Frazier both went 1-for-3 against Matz in that game.

Smith will be starting for the Reds against Matz, and has not found much success in his time in Cincinnati. He has yet to have a quality start, and his best outing came against the Mets when he pitched five innings and gave up three runs, though only one was an earned run. He did hold the Mets to a .133 team batting average and will hopefully continue to pitch that well against New York.

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Game 2
9/25 7:10 p.m. EST
NYM: Noah Syndergaard (8-7, 3.39)
CIN: Anthony DeSclafani (9-11, 3.79)

Syndergaard will be starting against the Reds for the second time this year, and earned a win in his first meeting with the Reds after out-dueling Johnny Cueto. Syndergaard pitched eight innings and only gave up one run off of five hits in that game. Frazier, Phillips, Jay Bruce and Brayan Pena all got hits off Syndergaard, in a game that showed very little offense from the Reds.

DeSclafani will be starting for the Reds and will be making his first start against the Mets this year, though he did face them twice in 2014. In those starts, DeSclafani struggled mightily, allowing a .517 team batting average, and a 1.452 team OPS.

Game 3
9/26 4:10 p.m. EST
NYM: Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.80)
CIN: John Lamb (1-3, 4.60)

The Mets’ ace, Harvey, will be starting against the Reds for game three and is pitching against Cincinnati for the second time this year. Harvey earned a no-decision after pitching six innings and allowing one unearned run in their first meeting. Reds that have hit well off Harvey include Phillips, (3-for-9 with twi doubles, one walk and two RBIs) and Joey Votto (2-for-6 with one home run and two RBIs).

Lamb, who will get the start for the Reds, has been pitching much better for the Reds lately, with a 3.92 ERA in the month of September, and will be making his first career start against the Mets.

Game 4
9/27 1:10 p.m. EST
NYM: Jacob deGrom (13-8, 2.64)
CIN: Keyvius Sampson (2-5, 6.45)

deGrom, who beat out Billy Hamilton for the NL Rookie of the Year award last year, will get the start from the Mets to wrap up the series and will be pitching against the Reds for the first time. He will go up against Sampson, who will likewise be starting against the Mets for the first time.

Next: Hamilton to have shoulder surgery, done for year