Mike Minor's record drops to 1-9 as Cincinnati Reds fall short to New York Mets

NEW YORK – Joey Votto connected on an 83-mph slider and New York Mets starter Carlos Carrasco turned to watch as center fielder Mark Canha made the catch with an arm pressed against the wall in left-center field to end the sixth inning.

Five innings earlier, Votto sent a 93-mph fastball to the warning track in left field where Mets outfielder Jeff McNeil made the catch one step in front of the wall.

It was that type of day for the Cincinnati Reds in a 6-2 loss at Citi Field. Facing the National League East-leading Mets, they need more things to break their way. Dropping the first two games of the three-game series, it was just the second time the Reds took a series loss in the last month.

"We had a couple of opportunities – not enough, though," Reds Manager David Bell said. "Carrasco was really good. Great slider. He made it tough on our hitters."

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The Reds were shutout for six innings against Carrasco before a four-hit seventh inning. Jake Fraley hammered a 439-foot two-run homer to right field, a no-doubter that had right fielder Starling Marte standing with his arms behind his back as it cleared the fence.

Former Reds reliever Mychal Givens, traded at the trade deadline for the second consecutive year, stranded two runners on base in the seventh inning by striking out Nick Senzel.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Joel Kuhnel pitched into a jam with a leadoff single and a hit batsman. After retiring the next two batters, the Reds opted to intentionally walk Pete Alonso to load the bases. The move backfired when Darin Ruf hit a two-run single on a groundball past a diving Jonathan India.

"Everyone in this lineup is hot right now," said McNeil, who had a solo homer and an RBI single off Reds starter Mike Minor. "We're a dangerous team. We're a good team, we know that."

Minor, who dropped his record to 1-9 this season, allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings after the game began with a 51-minute weather delay. He permitted five hits and three walks while striking out three. The Reds have a 1-11 record in games he started.

"It’s been obviously really difficult," Minor said. "I don’t think I have a quality start yet. I haven’t had that my whole career this bad at least. It’s just been a struggle every week, every game. I feel like even when I have good stuff something happens and it’s not been a good game. That’s just where I’m at."

Minor labored through the first few innings, inflating his pitch count, and then the Mets stole a run in the third inning.

Canha attempted to steal second base in a 1-2 count to Starling Marte, and Marte grounded out to shortstop on the pitch. Running on the pitch took away a chance at a double play and six pitches later, Francisco Lindor lined a changeup over the left-field wall for a two-run homer.

"I felt like I was laboring the whole time, trying not to put anything over the middle of the plate," Minor said. "There was some pitches there where I thought they were going to swing through a lot of the fastballs up and it was just a little high. ... A lot of deep counts, a lot of 1-0s. It was pretty much 1-0 on everybody trying to get the curveball going like we had last week, but it wasn’t there."

McNeil led off the fourth inning with a solo homer to center. Minor has surrendered 18 homers in 62 innings this year, one of five pitchers who has allowed 18 or more homers in fewer than 100 innings.

"I thought we had a good game plan, but I just couldn’t execute," said Minor, who has a 6.24 ERA this year. "This week, I felt good during catch and all that. Then got into the game and I felt a little off. Just trying to make some pitches, get some ground balls, flyouts, but the two home runs obviously killed me."

Trailing by four runs in the eighth inning, the Reds loaded the bases with two outs through a single and two walks versus reliever Trevor May. Bell opted to use Alejo Lopez, called up earlier Tuesday, as a pinch-hitter for Jose Barrero, who struck out in all three of his at-bats.

"We’re going to get to a point where I never even dream of hitting for Jose Barrero," Bell said. "We’re still working towards that. It’s going happen soon, but for tonight, I felt like it was our best chance right there to claw back into the game. That was it."

Lopez struck out on three pitches.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds drop another to Mets: Mike Minor struggles; Jake Fraley homers