McCoy: Reds likely need sweep of Mets to keep playoff hopes alive

The two teams open a three-game series Friday night and it is to the point where the Reds most likely need a sweep to stay within sight of the Mets for the final National League wild card spot.

They met in New York’s Citi Field in late July and the Reds took two of three, winning the first two 8-4 and 5-2 before losing the finale, 3-2.

At that point, as Meat Loaf sang it, ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,’ but two out of three this time probably won’t be enough.

And the history?

The 1973 National League Championship Series is infamous for the brawl ignited by Pete Rose’s hard slide into Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson in Game 3.

The Reds were odds-on favorites because they won 99 games, 17 more than the Mets, who finished 82-79 to win the National League East by 1 1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

But the Mets won the best-of-five series three games to two.

The Rose-Harrelson mix-up ignited a huge free-for-all. After it was over, Reds relief pitcher Pedro Borbon unknowingly picked up the hat of Mets outfielder Cleon Jones and put it on his head.

When somebody pointed it out, Borbon whipped off the hat and took a bite out of the bill, something easy for him to do. His teeth were so sharp clubhouse manager Bernie Stowe used him to bite the leather strips he used to hold together the fingers on baseball gloves.

Then there was 1999, The Big Road Machine, a team that won 51 games on the road. And they had to win the final game of the season in Milwaukee to tie the Mets and force a one-game playoff for a wild card spot.

Due to heavy rain, the game was delayed several times and the outfield resembled Lake Michigan. Reds right fielder Dmitri Young made a diving catch and raised a rooster-tail behind him, making him resemble a speeding powerboat. The game took more than five hours to play, but the Reds beat the Brewers, 9-2.

The Mets and Reds both finished 96-66, so they played the win-or-go-home game in Cincinnati’s Cinergy Field in front of 54,621.

The Big Road Machine should have played it in New York because the Reds lost, 5-0, and scraped only two hits off Al Leiter, who entered the game 12-12.

Although he was the No. 5 starter in the Reds rotation, Steve Parris was 11-3 when the game began. He lasted only 2 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, three hits and three walks.

Little more than a week-and-a-half ago the Reds were only one game behind the Mets in this year’s wild card standings, but a five-game losing streak dropped them five behind.

It has been frustrating ever since trying to make up ground because the Mets, after struggling as much as the Reds, suddenly are playing solid baseball.

In the first two games against the Detroit Tigers, owners of the American League’s best record, the Mets scored 10 and 12 runs.

The Mets two power guys, Juan Soto, the $765 million man, and Pete Alonso, the Polar Bear, are swinging it. Soto had five home runs during a five-game run starting last weekend and Alonso crushed two homers in one game against the Tigers.

In Sunday’s finale, the Reds will face the Mets version of Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. Rookie Nolan McLean is 4-0 with a 1.37 earned run average for his four major league starts.

Starting pitching has not been an issue for the Reds, but it is beginning to look as if the bullpen is wearing down from constant work.

One-third of manager Tito Francona’s last three innings triumvirate of Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan is gone. Ashcraft is on the injured list.

Santillan and Scott Barlow and second and third in relief appearances in MLB with 68 and 67, just behind Tyler Rogers, the leader with 69.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Pagan has 26 saves, among the MLB leaders, with six blown saves. He gave up two home runs in the ninth inning Monday against Toronto, enabling the Blue Jays to come from 2-1 behind to take a 4-2 lead.

The Reds, though, miraculously rescued the win with three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Now the Reds are in September, the final month, the deciding month.

“This has a chance to be a pretty memorable month for us,” Pagán recently told reporters. “It’s not going to be easy. We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit and made it difficult, but we’re not incapable of going on a run.

“We have to play good baseball. If you’re trying to do too much, it makes playing good baseball that much harder,” he added.

The Reds, consistently inconsistent this season, have made it difficult for themselves over and over again, shooting themselves in the foot so many times amputation was nearly necessary.

But they can wipe it all away with a weekend sweep.

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