Reds at Mets, Game One - Preview and Lineups

As jarring as it is to say it, Homer Bailey has been a really good pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds since returning from the 10-day DL and again muddying the heck out of the team’s rotation plans. In his two starts since bucking the knee injury and returning to the bigs, he’s fired 14.2 IP and allowed just 4 ER, his 2.45 ERA and .498 OPS against in that time every bit as juicy as his 14/3 K/BB in that time.

The velocity has been there, as he’s run his fastball up over 95 mph repeatedly. The strikeouts are finally back, too, after he was barely fanning more than 5 per 9 IP prior to the DL stint. If anything, these back to back outings have actually shown that there might still be some solid life left in his right arm despite numerous failures and setbacks, though the consistency between now and the end of the 2018 season will obviously need to continue to truly have any reason to trust that it’s sustainable.

Homer gets the start tonight as the Reds begin their series against the New York Mets, with hopes that they can pick up a few wins to salvage a road trip where their current record sits at just 1-5. Of course, they’ll have to go through the teeth of the potent starting pitching of the Mets, with Noah Syndergaard first up for them tonight.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET.

Cincinnati Lineup

New York Lineup