The New York Mets currently find themselves 1.5 games back in the NL East, with a struggling bullpen that has cost them games late. The latest came on Friday night, when reliever Alex Carillo replaced starter Sean Manaea after four innings and proceeded to surrender a 2-1 lead,

Alonso could benefit from a day off. After a hot start to the season, where he batted .349 with a 1.143 OPS including nine home runs and 33 RBIs in his first 36 games, he’s really cooled off. He’s batting .237 with a .752 OPS, including 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in his next 63 games.

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets look to break their three-game home slide with a win against the Cincinnati Reds. New York has gone 33-16 at home and 55-44 overall. Mets pitchers have a collective 3.61 ERA, which ranks second in the NL.

The Mets had a memorable pregame ceremony at Citi Field on Saturday, retiring David Wright’s uniform No. 5 and inducting him into the Mets Hall of Fame because of a fabulous 14-year career in orange and blue.

Francisco Alvarez’s bat is cooking, and the Mets are noticing. The catcher had six homers in his past four games for Triple-A Syracuse entering Saturday night and continues to show improvement behind the plate, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, in what has been an open-ended minor league assignment.

The Cincinnati Reds won their sixth game out of their last seven on Saturday, beating the New York Mets 5-2. The Reds trailed 2-0 for the second game in a row, but rallied in the third to tie the game on a Mets throwing error and a Matt McLain single.

For the Reds’ front office to increase their chances of being buyers before the July 31 Trade Deadline, the team coming out of the All-Star break strong was viewed as pivotal. So far, the players on the field have held up their end of the bargain.

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