The Mets (81-74) took the series in Cincinnati with their 6-3 Sunday afternoon triumph over the Reds (73-83). In a well-rounded win for New York, the club was led by three home runs and a solid bullpen performance after a shortened start from Marcus Stroman.
Pitching
Marcus Stroman got the start for New York and held the Reds to two earned runs through 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two, exiting the game feeling nauseous after tossing 86 pitches.
After the Mets took an early four-run lead in the top half of the frame, the Reds stole one back from Stroman to make it 5-1 at the end of the first. With one out, he surrendered back-to-back singles to Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez, and a sacrifice fly from Aristides Aquino drove the run in.
Stroman got into trouble in the fifth after retiring thirteen straight batters. The right-hander induced back-to-back groundouts to kick off the inning before giving up a solo shot to Kyle Farmer to cut the Mets lead to two. In a downward spiral, Stroman then walked three consecutive batters — Trevor Bauer, Phil Ervin, and Votto — to load the bases for Eugenio Suarez. He was lifted for Brad Brach who got the final out of the frame and limited the damage.
Edwin Diaz took over and tossed a scoreless seventh, striking out the side while walking two. He looked a bit shaky coming out of the gate when he walked Votto on four pitches, but with one out and runners on first and third the twenty-five-year-old struck out Suarez and Aquino to preserve the lead.
Justin Wilson got his fourth save of the season after pitching a scoreless ninth to solidify the win, striking out two and walking one.
Offense
The Mets struck early with two outs in the first when back-to-back doubles from Pete Alonso and Robinson Cano drove in the game’s first run. In his first at bat of the afternoon, Alonso became just the first rookie in major league history with 50 homers and 30 doubles in the same season.
New York tacked on another three in the opening frame when Wilson Ramos was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, and Michael Conforto shot a three-run long ball to give the Mets a 4-0 lead.
The mashing continued with solo home runs from J.D. Davis in the sixth and Brandon Nimmo in the ninth, giving the team the final three-run lead.
New York put up six runs on nine hits. Conforto went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Alonso went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.
On Deck
The Mets travel back to Citi Field tomorrow to kick off a four-game series with the Marlins. Steven Matz (10-9, 4.16 ERA) will take the mound for New York facing off with Caleb Smith (9-10, 4.24 ERA). The game will begin at 7:10 PM ET. It will be televised on SNY and broadcast on WCBS 880 and ESPN-1050.
