(Photo credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona has earned 1,856 more regular-season victories as a major league manager than Carlos Mendoza, his New York Mets counterpart.

But Francona and Mendoza will both have the same objective in mind Friday night, when their teams return from the All-Star break as the Reds visit the Mets in the opener of a three-game series between the pair of National League contenders.

Nick Lodolo (6-6, 3.38 ERA) is slated to start for the Reds against fellow left-hander Sean Manaea (0-1, 2.70).

Both teams won their final three-game series before the All-Star break, although they had different results Sunday. Francona earned the 2,000th regular-season win of his career as the Reds edged the visiting Colorado Rockies 4-2. The Mets missed a chance to sweep the host Kansas City Royals when they fell, 3-2.

Francona became the 13th manager to reach 2,000 wins -- a milestone that all but ensures eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Every skipper with 2,000 wins has a plaque in Cooperstown except Dusty Baker, who retired following the 2023 season and has yet to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot, and Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy.

But the 66-year-old Francona, who ended a brief retirement by agreeing to a three-year deal with the Reds last October, said he was far more focused on what Sunday's victory meant for Cincinnati's short-term goals than what it symbolized for his legacy.

The Reds enter Friday with a 50-47 record and sit 2 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres in the race for the final NL wild-card spot. Cincinnati hasn't made the playoffs in a full season since 2013.

'I don't know if you would really believe me, but I wanted to win today so bad to get us to three games over .500,' Francona said. 'And I was so nervous about that, because we've got a break now and the guys could regroup.'

The All-Star break came at an opportune time for the Mets, who capped an eventful first half by falling out of first place in the NL East with Sunday's loss.

New York, which led the division by 5 1/2 games in June, is a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets (55-42) are in the second wild-card spot.

The Mets had the best record in baseball through June 12 but are just 11-18 since then.

Riding the rollercoaster is nothing new for the Mets, who were 11 games under .500 in early June last year before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

'We have been through stretches where it's hard for us, but then there's stretches where the offense is clicking,' Mendoza said. 'Overall, we have a good offense and we just have got to understand that at times, you are going to have a hard time scoring.'

Lodolo earned the win in his most recent start July 10, when he allowed three hits over six scoreless innings as the Reds beat the Miami Marlins 6-0. Manaea, who missed the first 96 games due to a right oblique injury and a bone chip in his elbow, made his season debut Sunday, when he took the loss after giving up one run over 3 1/3 innings of bulk relief behind Clay Holmes in a 3-2 loss to the Royals.

Lodolo didn't factor into the decision in his lone previous start against the Mets on July 5, 2022, when he tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Reds' 1-0 victory. Manaea is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in four games (three starts) against Cincinnati.

--Field Level Media