The Cincinnati Reds broke out of their offensive slumber Monday night in a 12-0 rout of the visiting New York Mets. The hosts will look to continue that momentum Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game set.

The Reds, who scored just seven runs in their three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend, put up nine runs in the first two innings vs. New York, their biggest output over the first two innings all season. Cincinnati’s final tally matched the team’s second-highest run output of the season. It was only the third time all year that the Reds put up a double-figure run total.

Eugenio Suarez was at the center of the explosion, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and his ninth career grand slam in the second.

“He’s done it before,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of Suarez’s two career 49-homer seasons, one of them last year. “When you’ve done it before, (you might wonder), ‘Do I have it, do I not have it?’ He’s done it, and normally when it warms up, the good hitters do, too.”

The banged-up Mets rotation is looking for a boost from the return of Kodai Senga (0-4, 9.00 ERA) on Tuesday. The right-hander will come off the 15-day injured list for the start, having recovered from lumbar spine inflammation and a minor case of ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching arm.

Senga last pitched for New York on April 26. He went 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in four rehab appearances for three Mets minor league affiliates. Most recently, he pitched well for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, throwing 75 pitches and striking out five over six innings of one-hit, one-run ball.

“He’s ready to go,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s telling us that he feels 100%. He was on board with, ‘Hey, if you guys want me to go in the minor leagues and pitch again, I’ll do it. But I’m ready to compete at the big-league level.’ So for him to be very vocal about it, it’s a really good sign.”

Senga had his best season with the Mets as a rookie in 2023, when he went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and made the National League All-Star team.

New York’s already injury-plagued rotation took another hit Monday when scheduled starter Christian Scott was placed on the injured list with a right hip injury, though the team is hopeful it will be a brief stay on the shelf. Scott has pitched effectively this season, compiling a 2-0 record and a 3.10 ERA in nine starts.

Tobias Myers took over as the Mets’ Monday starter and was shelled for seven runs on four hits while retiring just four batters.

On Tuesday, the Reds will start Brady Singer (2-6, 5.61 ERA). The right-hander has experienced a rocky second season in the NL and is riding a personal five-decision losing skid after opening the season 2-1.

However, Singer showed signs of stability in his latest outing, working six strong innings while giving up just two runs in a no-decision against the host San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

“Brady has been battling through some mechanical adjustments, but we know the talent is there,” Francona said. “He threw the ball extremely well in his last outing, and we need him to build on that momentum.”

–Field Level Media