With 102 days left in the regular season, the 35-37 Reds and 32-41 Mets are both squarely on the wrong side of the playoff picture, making every game in this series a meaningful step toward or away from relevance.

Cincinnati has owned this matchup lately, winning four of the last five meetings including a 12-0 demolition and a 5-3 win in the first two games of this current series — the Reds have been particularly punishing at home. The Mets arrive on a back-to-back having been outscored 17-3 in those two losses, though they showed some life before this road trip with wins over Atlanta and St. Louis. Both clubs are playing on one day of rest, which flattens any scheduling edge either side might claim.

Whether the Mets can reset mentally and get something going offensively after being blanked 12-0 two days ago is the central question — Cincinnati's recent run suppression at home has been the defining dynamic of this series, and how New York responds to that pressure will likely shape the outcome.