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Try it freeAll was Wright for the Mets on Saturday, but that was before the game started.
On the field, manager Carlos Mendoza’s bunch appeared stuck in the All-Star break by falling behind in the middle innings for a second straight day while barely showing any offensive clout.
David Wright’s No. 5 got retired, and the Mets too often took the same tactic with runners in scoring position — during and after Clay Holmes’ rough performance — in a 5-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field.
Nobody had a worse day than Francisco Lindor, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as the Mets lost their third straight. Overall, the Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position — a weakness from before the All-Star break that has continued.
Boos emanated throughout the ballpark in the late innings as the Mets went feebly — the minimum nine batters came to the plate.
Lindor, who is hitless in his last 17 at-bats, snuffed a Mets rally in the seventh, when he was retired on a broken-bat grounder with the bases loaded. In the ninth — as the tying run at the plate — he grounded into a fielder’s choice for the first out.
Juan Soto just missed a game-tying homer in the inning (the ball hooked foul around the pole in right) before striking out on a full-count check swing. Pete Alonso was then retired to end it.
Holmes scuffled, allowing five runs, one of which was unearned, on six hits and two walks and a hit batter over 5 1/3 innings. It was a seventh straight start in which Holmes failed to complete six innings.
Mark Vientos delivered a two-out RBI single in the first to produce the game’s first run. But after Jeff McNeil walked to load the bases, Ronny Mauricio was retired. Brandon Nimmo and Alonso each singled to fuel the rally.
Brett Baty’s homer leading off the second gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. Baty’s homer was his first since July 4. He jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Fordham product Nick Martinez and blasted it to the right-field porch for his 10th homer this season.
Luis Torrens’ throwing error on a pickoff attempt at first base in the third inning gave the Reds their first run. Holmes allowed an RBI single to Matt McLain to tie it 2-2 before getting Elly De La Cruz to hit into an inning-ending double play. Jake Fraley doubled leading off the inning and Holmes plunked Noelvi Marte.
Holmes waked Austin Hays to start the fourth, and Fraley’s RBI single – the Reds’ third hit in the inning – put the Mets in a 3-2 hole.
Soto walked and stole second in the fifth and advanced to third base on a ground out before Vientos was retired for the final out. Soto’s stolen base was his 12th of the season – matching a career high.
Reed Garrett appeared to escape a jam created by Holmes in the sixth by getting Tyler Stephenson to hit a potential inning-ending double-play grounder to Mauricio at third.
But Mauricio’s throw to second was high and wide, forcing Baty out of position to throw. Hays, who walked leading off the inning, scored. The ensuing batter, Fraley, delivered an RBI double that extended the Reds’ lead to 5-2.
McNeil, Baty and Torrens walked to load the bases in the sixth with one out, but Nimmo swung at two Scott Barlow curveballs below the strike zone before whiffing on a fastball.
Lindor was then retired on a broken-bat grounder to leave the bags full.
Boos emanated through the ballpark after Soto, Alonso and Vientos struck out in succession against Tony Santillan in the seventh.