CINCINNATI — Shin-Soo Choo should save a few of those hits f🌞or next season, when he’s potentially playing for the Mets.
The Reds outfielder — who is a free agent after this season and figures to be pursued by the Mets — ke༺pt his current team’s NL Central title hopes in sight with a 10th-inning RBI single that sent the Mets to a 3-2 loss Monday at Great American Ball Park.
Greg Burke surrendered successive singles in the 10th before Sean Henn was s🐎ummoned and allowed the game-winner to Choo, who finished 3-for-6 with two stolen bases. The Reds began the night tied with the Pirates, two games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central race.
The Mets (71-85)♛ had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Aaron Harang, who pitched for the Reds from 2003-12, lasted six innings𒊎 for the Mets and allowed two earned runs 🎃on five hits with six walks and one strikeout.
The Reds got both of their runs against Harang in the second. 𝄹Choo’s RBI single delivered a run before Joey Votto walked with the bases loaded to make it 2-0. Votto finished the night with five walks, tying a Reds record.
Lucas Duda’s solo homer in the sixth made it 2-2. The blast was Duda’s 15th of the season, tying the career high he established last year. Duda drove in the Mets’𒀰 fi🌃rst run on a sacrifice fly in the third, after Harang had reached on a two-base error by Todd Frazier.
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Matt Harv🅷ey is still w🌱aiting to pick up a baseball.
A week after the Mets right-hander viౠsited Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on the torn ulnar coll♓ateral ligament in his elbow and decided to attempt a rehab program in place of Tommy John surgery, he is still idle from baseball activities.
“The throwing program is coming together, but in tꦓhe meantime he hasn’t started yet,” general manager Sandy Alderson said Monday. “He’s still doing exercise🍸s to get him pointed to throwing.”
Once he begins the program, Harvey’s rehab is expected to last 6-8 weeks, after which it will be🦩 determined if he needs the surgery.
The challenge for the Mets could be fiꦕnding competition for Harvey to face — Alderson won’t be satisfied just watching him throw from a mound.
“I think he needs to throw to a near-competitive ꦗlevel, pain-free and perhaps on more than one occasion,” Alderson said, noting that Harvey might be sent to the Arizona Fall League for 1-2 s𝓀tarts. “We may know something before we get to that level of intensity.”
If Harvey needs Tommy John surgery, he is expected to miss all of next s♊eason.
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Alderson indicated Zack Wheeler was examined by a doctor after complaining of right shoulder stiffness last week and 🍷an MRI exam wasn’t deemed necessary.
Wheeler, who was scratched from his final scheduled start of the season, hasn’t been bothered by the stiffness in recent days, according to manage🏅r Terry Collins, 🎃but the organization wasn’t about to risk letting him pitch an additional game.