The New York Mets (15-14) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (12-17) by a score of 4-3 Tuesday night at Citi Field. Jason Vargas pitched well for 5.1 innings while Jeff McNeil registered another four-hit day, including driving in the first Mets run with a great RBI drag bunt.

Pitching

Jason Vargas started for the Mets and was uncharacteristically effective, tossing 5.1 innings of one-run ball. He allowed the one earned run on three hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.

He had cruised through five scoreless innings and was sent back out to begin the sixth inning. First up was lefty Joey Votto who he retired, but Callaway left Vargas in one batter too long as Eugenio Suarez crushed the first pitch he saw from Vargy over the left field fence to then tie the game at one apiece.

Robert Gsellman came in and walked one batter while striking out two to end the frame. He stayed in for the seventh (after walking in his first at bat of 2019) and, despite allowing a hit, pitched a scoreless inning, striking out another batter.

Jeurys Familia was brought in for a six-out save and was greeted by Joey Votto. Callaway could have brought in Daniel Zamora, for example, to face Votto to start the inning, but he went to Familia who immediately allowed a base hit to Votto. He was instantly bailed out as Eugenio Suarez hit a weak fly ball to shallow center field, and as Votto grossly underestimated the range of the Mets’ Gold Glove center fielder, he was easily doubled off when Lagares made a running catch and threw it to first. Votto accepted his fate, walking back towards the dugout from around second base before Lagares even threw it. Familia then struck out Yasiel Puig on three straight pitches, looking as sharp as he has all season.

Now staked to a more comfortable 3-1 lead, Familia struck out Tucker Barnhart and Derek Dietrich before walking Jesse Winker on four pitches. Jose Iglesias, who is not a big power threat, came up representing the tying run. Familia got ahead 0-2, but on a 2-2 pitch, Iglesias lined a base hit to center field. Pinch hitting Kyle Farmer for Scott Schebler (preferring Farmer vs Familia over Schebler vs Daniel Zamora), Familia got ahead with strike one looking. With the tying runs on base, Familia blew a 96 mph sinker past Farmer for strike two.

Now with an 0-2 count, Farmer floated a soft opposite-field single over Pete Alonso into right field, scoring one and putting runners on the corners. Now with runners on first and third with two outs, the go ahead run was on base for Jose Peraza who took a first pitch ball. Celebrating his 25th birthday, Peraza gave himself more to celebrate as he lined a base hit to center field, tying the game and advancing the go-ahead run to third base.

Familia, who as asked to get six outs, was only able to get five. A walk and three straight singles, all with two outs, forced Familia out of the game. With Joey Votto coming up to the dish, the Mets went to lefty Daniel Zamora who had struck out all four batters he’d faced to that point this season. He walked Votto on five pitches and that would be it for Zamora who was lifted for righty Drew Gagnon, who was double-switched into the game with J.D. Davis.

With the bases loaded, tie game, and two outs, Gagnon’s assignment was to get Eugenio Suarez (who had already homered) out. After getting head 1-2, Gagnon struck him out with a stellar changeup to end the inning.

Gagnon, who sported a 0.51 ERA in 17.2 innings with Syracuse this season, stayed in for the tenth inning. After recording two quick outs, he hit Derek Dietrich before a McNeil error put runners on first and third with two outs. He bent but did not break, as after a great changeup and an even better curveball to get ahead of Jose Iglesias 0-2, he got him to pop up in foul territory to Pete Alonso to end the inning.

Offense

Luis Castillo came into the day pitching better than pretty much anyone, with an MLB-best 1.23 ERA. He certainly pitched like it, severely limiting the Mets’ bats.

The first run of the day scored in the third inning when after Amed Rosario led off with a hit, Juan Lagares reached first base on a fielders’ choice (with Rosario thrown out at second). A successful sacrifice bunt by Vargas moved Lagares to second before a wild pitch sent him to third base.

With Jeff McNeil up at the plate and a runner on third, the Reds infield played very far back, almost on the outfield grass, to try and prevent a run-scoring base hit. On a 1-0 pitch, McNeil attempted to take advantage of the Reds drawn-back infield by dragging a bunt past the pitcher. He failed on his first attempt, but after the defense did not adjust, he tried it again and was successful, beating it out for an RBI. Considering all factors, like the Reds defense, the quality of the Reds pitcher, etc, this was a great play by McNeil.

Barely back from commercial in the bottom of the seventh inning, Todd Frazier launched a solo home run on the first pitch he saw from Castillo into the left-center field seats. After a weak Wilson Ramos groundout, Amed Rosario worked a four-pitch walk and while Juan Lagares was at the dish, he stole second base. Lagares worked a 10-pitch at bat which resulted in a long fly ball to left-center field that acted as a sacrifice fly, moving Rosario from second to third base. Reds manager David Bell made a pitching change at this point, bringing in Robert Stephenson to face pinch-hitter Dominic Smith who he struck out on three straight sliders.

Castillo’s final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 99 pitches.

Jeff McNeil led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a double down the right field line but Pete Alonso struck out soon after for the first out. Stephenson was relieved by southpaw Amir Garrett to face lefties Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto. Nimmo struck out before Conforto snuck a ground ball with eyes past the diving second baseman to score McNeil and give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Jared Hughes was brought in to face Todd Frazier who looked to recreate what he did in the seventh inning. Frazier, who was just 3-for-14 against Hughes coming into the day, made it 3-for-15 when he grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Now with a 3-3 tie game going into the bottom of the ninth inning, Wilson Ramos made a quick out on a fly out to right field to start the frame against new reliever David Hernandez. Amed Rosario, who was 2-for-2 with a walk coming into the at bat, worked the count full before striking out. Juan Lagares, who was 3-for-6 with a walk against Hernandez in his career coming into the at bat, took a questionable strike three called on a fastball near the outside corner. Free baseball!

J.D. Davis, who was double-switched into the game with Gagnon, led off the 10th inning against Reds closer Raisel Iglesias. He made Iglesias work hard, working the count full before lining the tenth pitch he saw to left-center field for a lead-off double. Jeff McNeil, who got things going with a stellar RBI bunt earlier in the game, knocked his fourth hit of the night to right field, advancing Davis to third (who did not want to test Yasiel Puig‘s arm with nobody out).

Pete Alonso came up with runners on the corners and nobody out, looking to bring that run home in any way. He fell behind 0-2 before bringing Davis home with a deep sacrifice fly to the right field warning track, the first walk-off RBI of his career. Mets win 4-3!

On Deck

The Mets send reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom (2-3, 4.85 ERA) to the hill to right the ship against Anthony DeSclafani (1-1, 4.26 ERA) and the Reds at Citi Field. First pitch will be thrown at 7:10 PM ET.