[jg2977]

[Gary Cohen voice – thoughtful, professional, but with unmistakable disappointment layered in every syllable]

Well... what can you say?

On a day when the Mets had a chance to take control of this Division Series… they just didn’t show up. And the Reds made sure everyone at Citi Field knew it.

An 8–1 loss. A game that started badly and, frankly, never got better. You could feel the air come out of the ballpark the moment Pedro Rodriguez launched that grand slam in the first inning. A 2–2 pitch from Ben Navarro, a hanging curveball, and Rodriguez didn’t miss. He crushed it. Four-nothing before some fans had even found their seats.

Rodriguez finishes with five RBIs, three hits, a double, a homer… he did everything but sell peanuts in the mezzanine.

And from the Mets? Well, there were eight hits. But no big ones. A run here, a couple of scattered singles there. A lot of traffic with nowhere to go. They grounded into three double plays. And when they finally had something going in the fourth, Norwood hit a soft ground ball to bring in a run… and that was it. That’s the entire offensive highlight reel.

Now, give credit to Johnny Landaverde. The Reds' starter was brilliant—complete game, eight hits, one run, just 98 pitches. He didn’t overpower anybody, but he was efficient, and the Mets never adjusted. That’s the kind of outing you want in October. That’s the kind of outing you dream about as a kid.

As for the Mets… the defense was shaky. Tamura had two errors at first base, and Porche added another at third. It was sloppy. This is the postseason. You cannot give a team like the Reds extra outs and expect to survive.

And now this series shifts to Cincinnati, tied at one. And yes, the Mets still have a chance. But this was the game. The one you needed. The one you had circled.

And they just... let it slip away.

For now, it’s back to the clubhouse, back to the drawing board, and on to Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. This team has shown resilience all year, but that... that was a gut punch.

We’ll step aside. More postgame coverage coming up.