The last time the Cincinnati Reds won a playoff series, Barry Larkin and Bret Boone were the middle infielders, and Jeff Brantley was closing games.

CINCINNATI — Taking two out of three games from the New York Mets is good. However, Sunday’s 3-2 loss for the Reds is a missed opportunity to earn a huge sweep of a good Mets team and further dent into the National League Wild Card race.

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds due to a right-hand contusion. Alonso has played in all 99 games this season for the Mets and has appeared in a franchise-record 353 consecutive regular-season games dating back to June 18,

This was not a playoff team in October. Or a contender in September. This was the bad-bullpen, meh-lineup Nationals playing for nothing in July.

Marte’s activation came amid a flurry of roster moves by the Mets, who also placed left-handed longman Brandon Waddell on the 15-day injured list with a right hip impingement. Waddell suffered the injury when he slipped on the mound during a 3.2-inning outing on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets look to break their three-game home slide with a win against the Cincinnati Reds. New York has gone 33-16 at home and 55-44 overall. Mets pitchers have a collective 3.61 ERA, which ranks second in the NL.

The Cincinnati Reds fell 3-2 to the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon. After tying the game at two in the top of the eighth, the Mets scored the go-ahead run on an RBI groundout to take the lead back in the bottom half of the inning.

It was the 39th time in the modern era (since 1901) that a hitter got nailed three times in one game. It’s happened to 34 different players — the only previous Reds batter was Derek Dietrich at Milwaukee on June 21,