CINCINNATI — This would rank as one of R.A. Dickey’s worst starts of the season, one of Josh Thole’s toughest games behind the plate of the season and one of the Mets’ most brutal games offensively of the season.
The Mets’ embarrassing plummet continued at Great American Ball Park last night, as Dickey and Co. were blasted by the Reds, 6-1, losing for the eighth time in their last 11 games. Dickey (15-4, 2.89 ERA) served up a season-high-tying three homers, one of which was a blast from Todd Frazier that sailed 474 feet.
Offensively, the Mets hitters continued to struggle. After being shut out in Tuesday’s series opener and in three of their last six games, the Mets managed just the one run on four hits last night. All four hits were singles, and they drew no walks.
This latest fiasco prompted manager Terry Collins to say he’s “going to find some guys” to sit.
“You see swings in some counts that you wonder about,” Collins said. “We talk about [Jordany] Valdespin being over-aggressive, but at least he’s trying to drive a ball.”
Though the revelation that Melky Cabrera tested positive for testosterone stirred headlines yesterday, the Mets had their own, uh, scandal — before the bottom of the second inning. That’s when umpires forced Dickey to cut off two friendship bracelets that were on his wrist because they were in violation of the rules.
Dickey said his two daughters — ages 10 and 8 — had given them to him before he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in the offseason. He has worn them for every start this season without an issue.
“I was a little bit angry” he said, referring to the violation. “Nevertheless, I guess it is a rule and I had to follow it.”
Crew chief Jim Joyce told The Post, “You cannot wear anything on either hand, bracelet-type or anything like that.”
Told that Dickey said he has worn them without issue in his other starts this year, Joyce said, “Tonight we saw it, this crew saw it, and we just asked him to take it off. … It’s nothing more than the rule.”
“They must be newly enforcing it,” Collins said. “I think it bothered him, yes. But he’s still got to pitch through it and he knows that.”
Dickey agreed.
“That wasn’t the issue of the game.,” he said. “We’ve got to play better collectively, myself included.”
Dickey, who had delivered three straight excellent starts after a rough stretch, was hit hard early by the Reds and never truly settled into a groove. He was in trouble every inning, and though he struck out nine batters, the Reds battered him. They smashed the three homers, added three doubles and pounded out 10 hits against him.
The worst moment for Dickey was in the bottom of the fourth when Scott Rolen drilled a one-out solo homer to snap a 1-1 tie and Frazier followed by launching his 474-foot drive to center. Dickey also served up Jay Bruce’s 428-foot solo blast in the sixth.
“It was a bizarre outing,” Dickey said. “It really was.”
Thole had difficulty handling Dickey’s knuckler, resulting in three passed balls in the first five innings.
Offensively, the Mets have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their last 11 games. David Wright hasn’t homered in his last 62 at-bats, and Daniel Murphy is in a 3-for-26 funk with no extra-base hits in his last seven games.