Walker's Ninth Home Run Helps Mets Beat Reds 5-2

Neil Walker hit his ninth home run, tying for the major league lead, Matt Harvey won his second straight start and the Mets beat the Reds 5-2 Wednesday night to stretch their winning streak to six.

Walker's third-inning homer off Jon Moscot (0-2) extended the Mets' lead to 3-1 and tied the team record for home runs in April.

Harvey (2-3) won his second consecutive start after losing his first three. He overcame a first-inning home run by Zack Cosart and gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. Mixing a changeup with a fastball that reached 97 mph, Harvey struck out a season-high seven and walked one.

Addison Reed pitched a perfect ninth for his first save. Coming off a weekend sweep at Atlanta, New York has won nine of 10 to close within 1 1/2 games of NL East-leading Washington.

Moscot (0-2) gave up three runs — one earned — four hits and four walks in five innings. Cincinnati has lost four straight games and 12 of its last 16.

After the homer by Cozart, who raised his average to .397 with a 2-for-4 performance, Ivan DeJesus Jr. singled off Harvey's butt and onto the outfield grass. Harvey then stuck out Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez and Devin Mesoraco to escape further damage.

On a night when the Reds made three errors and the Mets two, New York went ahead in the first with two unearned runs.

Lucas Duda drove in Alejandro De Aza on a deep fly the bounced off left fielder Scott Schebler's glove for a two-base error, and Walker singled in Duda.

Cincinnati loaded the bases with one out in the third before Harvey struck out Suarez, and Walker dove to his right behind second to snare Mesoraco's liner.

Suarez's run-scoring single in the fifth pulled the Reds to 3-2, but Michael Conforto greeted Drew Hayes with a two-run double in the sixth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips missed his second straight game due to shin inflammation, caused by fouling consecutive pitches off his left foot and shin on Monday. He was also hit on the left ring finger during the same at-bat, but manager Bryan Price said that the inflammation factored more into Phillips being scratched than any issue with his hand.

Mets: Yoenis Cespedes, whose three-run homer propelled the Mets to a comeback win Tuesday, was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game with a bruised right thigh. Manager Terry Collins expects Cespedes to start Friday. ... OF Curtis Granderson, who had played every inning this season, didn't start but pinch hit in the eighth.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Dan Straily (0-0, 3.50 ERA), making his third start after beginning the season as a long reliever, is to take on LHP Francisco Liriano (1-1, 4.64 ERA) in a series opener Friday at Pittsburgh.

Mets: LHP Steven Matz (2-1, 5.40 ERA) is slated to start Friday's series opener against San Francisco and RHP Jake Peavy (1-1, 6.86 ERA).

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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