Lodolo gets first win this season as Reds extend Mets' skid to 4 with 7-2 victory

NEW YORK (AP) — Nick Lodolo won for the first time in four starts since returning from a blister, JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson homered off an ineffective Nolan McLean, and the Cincinnati Reds extended the New York Mets' losing streak to four with a 7-2 victory Monday.

Mets star Juan Soto missed his second straight game because of illness and fellow outfielder Tyrone Taylor left with right hip pain after grounding out in the sixth inning. Taylor will undergo an MRI and is probably headed to the injured list, manager Carlos Mendoza said.

The lineup already was without injured regulars Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco.

New York has scored four runs and struck out 41 times during its latest skid, dropping to 22-32 at the one-third mark — one shy of its season low of 11 games under .500 at 10-21. A big league-best 45-24 at the start of play on June 13 last year, the Mets are 60-87 since.

Spencer Steer had three RBIs for Cincinnati, which beat out the Mets for a playoff spot on the last day of the 2025 season. The Reds started this year 20-11 but are just 8-14 since.

Lodolo (1-1) allowed one run and six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks, lowering his ERA from 7.20 to 5.57. He was sidelined from spring training until May 8 by a blister on his left index finger.

McLean (2-4) was charged with seven runs, five hits, two walks, two hit batters and one wild pitch in 3 1/3 innings, the shortest of his 19 big league starts. He has given up 13 earned runs in his last two outings, raising his ERA from 2.92 to 4.40.

Cincinnati went ahead 2-0 in the second when Steer drove in a run with forceout and McLean bounced a run-scoring wild pitch.

Bleday homered in the third and McLean gave up Steer's two-run single and Stephenson's two-run homer as the Reds took a 7-0 lead in the fourth.

Marcus Semien, hitting cleanup for the first time this year, homered leading off the sixth for the Mets.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had his 11th four-strikeout game, his first this year.

Reds RHP Chase Burns (6-1, 1.83 ERA) starts Tuesday night against Mets LHP David Peterson (3-4, 5.03).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez (28) reacts after hitting a double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

A patch for Memorial Day adorns the jersey of Cincinnati Reds' Tyler Stephenson while he waits on-deck to bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Cincinnati Reds' Tyler Stephenson, center, high-fives Spencer Steer (7) after he hit a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis Australia has hired Andrew Abdo from the National Rugby League to replace Craig Tiley as chief executive officer.

The Australian governing bodies of both sports confirmed the move in statements on Monday.

Tiley announced in February he was quitting his roles as Australian Open tournament director and Tennis Australia CEO to join the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.

Tiley, who is from South Africa, became the Australian Open’s tournament director in 2006 and oversaw its expansion to a 15-day event, breaking attendance and revenue records. He became the CEO of Tennis Australia in 2013.

Abdo, who is also from South Africa, has been working with Australia's NRL since 2013, initially as chief commercial officer and, since 2020, as CEO. He played a pivotal role in the league navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and its expansion and development.

“Tennis Australia has a unique role in Australian sport. The Australian Open is already one of the leading sporting events in the world,” Abdo said in a statement. “The opportunity is to keep evolving it – as a global event, as a fan experience, and as a platform that brings more people into the sport.”

Tennis Australia said a global recruitment search attracted more than 150 candidates and Abdo stood out for his record of leadership in a high-profile national league.

"Tennis is one of the nation’s most popular sports, and participation is growing,” Tiley said in a statement. “We have a great group of players performing at the highest level and a world-class team developing the next generation of talented players and coaches.”

Australian tennis great Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion and two-time Davis Cup winner, urged Abdo to prioritize player development at the grass roots of the game Down Under.

“Can an NRL commercial exec fix the heart and soul of Oz tennis? I wish Andrew the best of luck," Cash wrote in a social media post questioning the strength of the national pathways to the elite level.

The Australian Open is a major commercial success that has continued to expand and innovate, but Cash wants the sport's national organizers to pay more attention to the “49 other weeks to the year.”

The Australian Open, now staged regularly in the second half of January, is the first of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

National Rugby League CEO Andrew Abdo speaks about his resignation in Sydney, Australia, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Robbie Stephenson/AAP Image via AP)