Brandon Sproat had the stuff to prove that he can hang in the majors. Too bad the Mets' offense looked like a minor-league crew against Hunter Greene and the Cincinnati Reds.

New York bats were held to just two hits against the combination of Cincy's starter for seven innings and a pair of relievers for the final two frames, spoiling Sproat's strong MLB debut in a 3-2 loss on Sunday afternoon to drop the rubber game of its three-game set.

Trailing by two headed into the ninth inning, Juan Soto pulled one back with a solo home run, his 38th of the season, against Tony Santillan. But Starling Marte grounded into a game-ending double play, ensuring the Mets (76-67) only stay four games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.

While Sproat al

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