Cincinnati Reds Fail to Complete Sweep in 9-1 Loss vs. Mets

Even before the first pitch on Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds had locked up their first series win since the end of May.

Both series came against the highest payroll in baseball, the New York Mets. After outscoring the Mets 17-3 in the first two games, New York got their revenge in a big way in their 9-1 finale win.

It was a disappointing ending to such a fun series, but still plenty for fans to find as building blocks for a potential magical summer for their club. Let's break down all the action from the finale loss against the Mets.

Nightmare Outing

The third inning told the story of Nick Lodolo's start against the Mets. The Reds' left-hander threw over 30 pitches in the inning and allowed three runs. Add a disastrous fifth inning to Lodolo's day, and it created a deficit that was too much for the Reds to come back from.

Before Wednesday's start, Lodolo was coming off two rocky starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to Wednesday's start, Lodolo did not make it to the sixth inning, which is not the recipe for success with this team.

The Reds' lefty exited the game after 4.2 innings of work that saw him give up 11 hits and seven earned runs on 90 pitches.

For the sake of this team, Lodolo will need to get back to the drawing board before his next trip to the mound.

Lights Went Out On Offense

Jun 16, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) hits an RBI single against the New York Mets in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

After two hot nights at the plate by the Reds' offense, the unit was bound to have an ugly day, and had just that on Wednesday. The Reds scored just one run on the Mets in the finale loss. The offense had nothing for Mets starter Nolan McLean, who went seven innings, striking out nine on 101 pitches.

The lone run scored in McLean's time on the mound was scored as an error by left fielder Juan Soto, who allowed a ball to get by him in the bottom of the third.

All in all, it was just a rotten game from the entire team. Still, getting a series win was a massive weight lifted off the shoulders of this team.

Up Next

Jun 16, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against Chicago White Sox center fielder Luisangel Acuña (0) during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Reds move to 35-38 on the season and will still be in a New York state of mind this week. After welcoming the Mets to Great American Ball Park, the Reds will travel to the Big Apple to meet the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Even though the Reds didn't sweep the Mets, winning the series was huge. Getting a series win over the Yankees would be even bigger. Can the Reds continue their winning ways against the top team in the American League East?

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