Cincinnati Reds ride strong 1st inning to down New York Mets

Sal Stewart belted a three-run homer and added an RBI single and Brady Singer snapped a personal five-game losing streak as the host Reds topped the visiting New York Mets 5-3 on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

The Reds earned their first back-to-back wins since May 25-26 against the Mets in New York, going just 6-12 since then.

Bo Bichette followed up his three-hit night on Monday with two ‌more hits Tuesday for ⁠the Mets, ⁠who fell for the fourth time in five games against Cincinnati.


For the second consecutive night, the Reds provided their starting pitcher with a commanding lead early on, again thanks to the long ball.

New York starter Kodai Senga (0-5) returned from inflammation in his lumbar spine and was reinstated from the injured list to make his first start since April 26. Early on, he lacked control, walking Blake Dunn and JJ Bleday to open the game.

Stewart then ⁠reclaimed Cincinnati's ‌home run lead, belting a Senga sinker an estimated 410 feet off the facade of the upper deck for his 14th home run and a Cincinnati ⁠3-0 lead. Stewart's 14 home runs are one better than Bleday for the team lead. Two outs later, Spencer Steer drove a 95 mph fastball from Senga into the first row of seats in left-center for his 11th homer and a 4-0 lead after one inning.

Singer (3-6) earned his first win since April 25 by allowing just one run on three hits over five innings, striking out five and walking three. He labored in the fourth and fifth innings, finishing with ‌91 pitches. Tony Santillan pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save in eight chances.

The Mets began to come back with a Bichette RBI single in the third and a massive ⁠pinch-hit two-run home run from Mark Vientos in the sixth that landed halfway up the upper deck. The home run off a Sam Moll changeup traveled an estimated 421 feet and cut Cincinnati's advantage to 5-3.

The Mets had a golden opportunity in the eighth when Tejay Antone walked the first two batters, but Antone fanned Vientos on a slider and Francisco Alvarez on a sweeper before Carson Benge grounded out to second to end the rally.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected by home plate umpire Carlos Torres after Bleday walked in the seventh against reliever Huascar Brazoban.