NEW YORK (Interstat) — The Cincinnati Reds visit the New York Mets on Monday evening at Citi Field, with first pitch scheduled under a forecast of 56 degrees and rain.

Cincinnati (27-25) is expected to start either left-hander Nick Lodolo (0-1) or right-hander Nolan McLean (2-3), though the club has not named a definitive starter. The Reds are coming off a 7-6, 11-inning victory over St. Louis on Saturday, powered by shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. De La Cruz has been streaky: He homered again May 17 at Cleveland, but went hitless in three of his past five games entering Monday.

The Mets (22-31) counter with right-hander Christian Scott, who posted a 5.2-inning, four-hit, scoreless outing with five strikeouts Sunday at Miami in a 4-0 loss. Scott has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, striking out 29 over 24 innings in that span. New York has lost four straight and seven of nine, dropping to the bottom of the NL East.

De La Cruz, the Reds’ dynamic 24-year-old switch-hitter, is a focal point. Over his last 10 games, he has three homers, seven RBIs and a .289 average, though he has also struck out 12 times. For the Mets, Scott’s control and ability to limit hard contact will be tested by a Cincinnati lineup that scored nine runs at Philadelphia on May 20 and 15 against Washington on May 14.

The Mets have installed Scott as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5, meaning oddsmakers expect New York to win by at least two runs. The over/under is set at 7.5 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Reds win, a slight departure from betting lines.

Cincinnati’s bullpen has been a strength, with Pierce Johnson throwing two scoreless innings Saturday and Graham Ashcraft adding 1.2 scoreless frames. The Mets’ relief corps, meanwhile, has a 4.58 ERA in May, though Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley have been effective in recent outings.

The Reds will stay in New York for a three-game series, with games Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting Atlanta. The Mets continue their homestand with a three-game set against Miami starting Friday, then travel to Seattle and San Diego.

Monday’s game marks the first meeting between these clubs this season. Cincinnati has won three of its last four, while New York seeks to snap a four-game skid and climb back toward .500.