GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: NY METS (77-60) at CINCINNATI (62-76)

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL AT CINCINNATI - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: S Schoeneweis relieved A Heilman.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 11
CINCINNATI 6 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: K Griffey Jr (.287, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY BRANDON PHILLIPS (27) TO LEFT CENTER WITH
1 OUT IN THE 9TH OFF SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 7

DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: A DUNN (.266, 2-FOR-3, BB, 2 RBI)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 0 3 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 11 13 1
CINCINNATI 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 1 7 9 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: NYM - OLIVER PEREZ, GUILLERMO MOTA (6TH), PEDRO FELICIANO (7TH),
AARON HEILMAN (8TH), SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS (9TH) AND PAUL LO DUCA

CIN - MATT BELISLE, BILL BRAY (6TH), GARY MAJEWSKI
(6TH), EDDIE GUARDADO (7TH), TODD COFFEY (8TH), BRAD SALMON
(8TH), JARED BURTON (9TH) AND DAVID ROSS, JAVIER VALENTIN
(8TH)

HOME RUNS: NYM - PAUL LO DUCA (6) OFF MATT BELISLE IN THE 2ND, 2 ON
CARLOS BELTRAN (27) OFF MATT BELISLE IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
PAUL LO DUCA (7) OFF TODD COFFEY IN THE 8TH, 2 ON

CIN - BRANDON PHILLIPS (27) OFF SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS IN THE 9TH, 0
ON</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 0 3 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 11 13 1
CINCINNATI 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 1 7 9 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: NYM - OLIVER PEREZ, GUILLERMO MOTA (6TH), PEDRO FELICIANO (7TH),
AARON HEILMAN (8TH), SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS (9TH) AND PAUL LO DUCA

CIN - MATT BELISLE, BILL BRAY (6TH), GARY MAJEWSKI
(6TH), EDDIE GUARDADO (7TH), TODD COFFEY (8TH), BRAD SALMON
(8TH), JARED BURTON (9TH) AND DAVID ROSS, JAVIER VALENTIN
(8TH)


WP - OLIVER PEREZ (13-9)
LP - BILL BRAY (3-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: NYM - PAUL LO DUCA (6) OFF MATT BELISLE IN THE 2ND, 2 ON
CARLOS BELTRAN (27) OFF MATT BELISLE IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
PAUL LO DUCA (7) OFF TODD COFFEY IN THE 8TH, 2 ON

CIN - BRANDON PHILLIPS (27) OFF SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS IN THE 9TH, 0
ON


TIME: 3:25 ATT: 20,655

PROBABLES: NYM - JOHN MAINE (14-8, 3.57)
CIN - TOM SHEARN (1-0, 4.76)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NY METS (11) VS CINCINNATI (7) - FINAL

NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 .292
R Gotay 2b 2 1 1 0 3 0 0 .323
D Wright 3b 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 .317
C Beltran cf 4 1 1 2 1 0 2 .280
C Delgado 1b 5 2 3 0 0 1 4 .255
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Alou lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 .328
E Chavez pr-rf 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 .271
S Green rf-1b 5 3 3 2 0 0 1 .277
P Lo Duca c 5 2 3 7 0 0 0 .269
O Perez p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .160
a-L Milledge ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .288
G Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
P Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-M Anderson ph-lf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .309

Totals 39 11 13 11 5 2 17

a-grounded into fielder's choice to third for O Perez in the 6th; b-walked for
P Feliciano in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - S Green (28, B Bray). HR - P Lo Duca 2 (7, 2nd inning off M
Belisle 2 on, 1 Out, 8th inning off T Coffey 2 on, 0 Out), C Beltran (27, 6th
inning off M Belisle 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - P Lo Duca 7 (41), C Beltran 2 (89), S
Green 2 (42). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Delgado 2, J Reyes 1.
GIDP - S Green. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - S Green (10, 2nd base off T Coffey/J Valentin). CS - J
Reyes (18, 2nd base by M Belisle/D Ross).

FIELDING: E - P Lo Duca (7, throw). DP: 1 (D Wright-C Delgado).


CINCINNATI ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Hopper cf 5 1 2 1 0 1 0 .326
J Keppinger 3b 5 1 1 1 0 1 2 .356
K Griffey Jr rf 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 .286
B Phillips 2b 4 2 3 1 1 0 0 .290
A Dunn lf 4 0 2 2 1 1 0 .266
J Cantu 1b 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 .400
A Gonzalez ss 2 1 0 0 2 0 4 .273
D Ross c 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .201
b-J Valentin ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .279
M Belisle p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .073
B Bray p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G Majewski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Votto ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
E Guardado p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Coffey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Salmon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-B Coats ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
J Burton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 33 7 9 7 6 5 12

a-struck out swinging for G Majewski in the 6th; b-grounded to second for D
Ross in the 7th; c-struck out swinging for B Salmon in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - N Hopper (11, O Perez); J Keppinger (14, O Perez). HR - B
Phillips (27, 9th inning off S Schoeneweis 0 on, 1 Out). S - M Belisle. SF - J
Cantu , K Griffey Jr. RBI - N Hopper (9), A Dunn 2 (95), J Cantu (6), J
Keppinger (25), K Griffey Jr (88), B Phillips (82). 2-out RBI - N Hopper.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Valentin 1, A Gonzalez 2, J
Keppinger 2. GIDP - J Cantu. Team LOB - 8.

BASERUNNING: SB - B Phillips (27, 2nd base off O Perez/P Lo Duca), N Hopper
(9, 2nd base off G Mota/P Lo Duca).

FIELDING: E - J Keppinger (3, ground ball). PB - J Valentin. DP: 1 (B
Phillips-A Gonzalez-J Cantu).


----------------------------------------------------
NY METS - 030 005 030 -- 11
CINCINNATI - 001 220 101 -- 7
----------------------------------------------------

NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
O Perez (W, 13-9) 5 4 5 3 5 2 0 3.46
G Mota (H, 5) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.88
P Feliciano (H, 18) 1 3 1 1 1 0 0 2.93
A Heilman 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.20
S Schoeneweis 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 5.08

CINCINNATI ip h r er bb so hr era
M Belisle 5 1/3 6 5 5 1 0 2 5.44
B Bray (L, 3-2) 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 4.82
G Majewski 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 8.68
E Guardado 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 12.91
T Coffey 0 3 3 3 1 0 1 6.65
B Salmon 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 3.74
J Burton 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.65

B Bray pitched to 3 batters in the 6th.
T Coffey pitched to 4 batters in the 8th.

WP - M Belisle. Pitches-strikes: O Perez 90-52; G Mota 14-9; P Feliciano
25-15; A Heilman 14-11; S Schoeneweis 10-6; M Belisle 97-59; B Bray 10-7; G
Majewski 14-10; E Guardado 12-7; T Coffey 19-11; B Salmon 24-13; J Burton
15-11. Ground balls-fly balls: O Perez 4-10; G Mota 1-1; P Feliciano 3-0; A
Heilman 0-1; S Schoeneweis 3-0; M Belisle 6-9; B Bray 0-0; G Majewski 1-1; E
Guardado 1-2; T Coffey 0-0; B Salmon 0-2; J Burton 1-1. Batters faced: O Perez
25; G Mota 4; P Feliciano 6; A Heilman 3; S Schoeneweis 4; M Belisle 22; B Bray
3; G Majewski 3; E Guardado 4; T Coffey 4; B Salmon 5; J Burton 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Randy Marsh. 1B--Bob Davidson. 2B--Hunter Wendelstedt. 3B--Sam
Holbrook.

T--3:25. Att--20,655.
Weather: 93 degrees, clear. Wind: 6 mph, left to
right.</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
NY METS 11
CINCINNATI 7 FINAL</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NY METS (11) AT CINCINNATI (7) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NY METS 2ND: C Delgado singled to center. M Alou lined out to shortstop.
S Green singled to left, C Delgado to second. P Lo Duca homered to left,
C Delgado and S Green scored. O Perez grounded out to shortstop. J Reyes safe
at first on error by third baseman J Keppinger. J Reyes caught stealing
second, catcher to shortstop.(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 3RD: A Gonzalez walked. D Ross flied out to right. M Belisle
sacrificed to pitcher, A Gonzalez to second. N Hopper doubled to left,
A Gonzalez scored. J Keppinger flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 1.

CINCINNATI 4TH: K Griffey Jr walked. B Phillips singled to center,
K Griffey Jr to second. A Dunn singled to center, K Griffey Jr scored,
B Phillips to third. J Cantu hit sacrifice fly to left, B Phillips scored.
A Gonzalez flied out to right. D Ross popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 3.

CINCINNATI 5TH: M Belisle grounded out to shortstop. N Hopper struck out
swinging, N Hopper safe at first on throwing error by catcher P Lo Duca.
J Keppinger doubled to left, N Hopper scored, J Keppinger to third advancing
on throw. K Griffey Jr hit sacrifice fly to right, J Keppinger scored.
B Phillips walked. B Phillips stole second. A Dunn walked. J Cantu walked,
B Phillips to third, A Dunn to second. A Gonzalez grounded out to pitcher.
(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 5.

NY METS 6TH: R Gotay singled to left. D Wright lined out to right.
R Gotay to second on wild pitch by M Belisle. C Beltran homered to center,
R Gotay scored. B Bray relieved M Belisle. C Delgado reached on infield single
to second. M Alou singled to right, C Delgado to second. S Green doubled to
deep center, C Delgado and M Alou scored. G Majewski relieved B Bray.
P Lo Duca singled to center, S Green scored, P Lo Duca to second advancing on
throw. L Milledge hit for O Perez. L Milledge grounded into fielder's choice to
third, P Lo Duca out at third, L Milledge to second. J Reyes popped out to
shortstop. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 7TH: P Feliciano relieved G Mota. K Griffey Jr singled to left.
B Phillips reached on infield single to shortstop, K Griffey Jr to second.
A Dunn singled to left center, K Griffey Jr scored, B Phillips to second.
J Cantu grounded into double play, third to first, B Phillips out at third,
A Dunn to second. A Gonzalez walked. J Valentin hit for D Ross. J Valentin
grounded out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 6.

NY METS 8TH: J Valentin catching. T Coffey relieved E Guardado. M Alou
singled to center. E Chavez ran for M Alou. S Green singled to right, E Chavez
to third. S Green stole second. P Lo Duca homered to left, E Chavez and
S Green scored. M Anderson hit for P Feliciano. M Anderson walked. B Salmon
relieved T Coffey. J Reyes popped out to third. M Anderson to second on passed
ball by J Valentin. R Gotay walked. D Wright flied out to center. C Beltran
walked, M Anderson to third, R Gotay to second. C Delgado struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 9TH: S Schoeneweis relieved A Heilman. K Griffey Jr grounded out
to first. B Phillips homered to left center. A Dunn grounded out to first.
J Cantu grounded out to third. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 7.</div>

 

NL: NY METS at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NY METS (11) AT CINCINNATI (7) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ny Mets Starting Lineups -- J Reyes SS, R Gotay 2B, D Wright 3B, C Beltran CF,
C Delgado 1B, M Alou LF, S Green RF, P Lo Duca C, O Perez LHP.

Cincinnati Starting Lineups -- N Hopper CF, J Keppinger 3B, K Griffey Jr RF,
B Phillips 2B, A Dunn LF, J Cantu 1B, A Gonzalez SS, D Ross C, M Belisle RHP.

Umpires -- Randy Marsh (HP), Bob Davidson (1B), Hunter Wendelstedt (2B),
Sam Holbrook (3B).

Gametime Weather: 93 degrees, Clear, wind left to right at 6 mph.


NY METS 1ST: J Reyes lined out to center. R Gotay walked. D Wright flied
out to center. C Beltran lined out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
NY METS 0, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 1ST: N Hopper bunt popped out foul to catcher. J Keppinger
popped out to second. K Griffey Jr grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) NY METS 0, CINCINNATI 0.

NY METS 2ND: C Delgado singled to center. M Alou lined out to shortstop.
S Green singled to left, C Delgado to second. P Lo Duca homered to left,
C Delgado and S Green scored. O Perez grounded out to shortstop. J Reyes safe
at first on error by third baseman J Keppinger. J Reyes caught stealing
second, catcher to shortstop.(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 2ND: B Phillips flied out to right. A Dunn struck out swinging.
J Cantu flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 0.

NY METS 3RD: R Gotay grounded out to third. D Wright grounded out to
shortstop. C Beltran flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 3,
CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 3RD: A Gonzalez walked. D Ross flied out to right. M Belisle
sacrificed to pitcher, A Gonzalez to second. N Hopper doubled to left,
A Gonzalez scored. J Keppinger flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 1.

NY METS 4TH: C Delgado singled to center. M Alou popped out to second.
S Green grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, C Delgado out at
second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 1.

CINCINNATI 4TH: K Griffey Jr walked. B Phillips singled to center,
K Griffey Jr to second. A Dunn singled to center, K Griffey Jr scored,
B Phillips to third. J Cantu hit sacrifice fly to left, B Phillips scored.
A Gonzalez flied out to right. D Ross popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 3.

NY METS 5TH: P Lo Duca popped out to shortstop. O Perez popped out to
shortstop. J Reyes grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 3,
CINCINNATI 3.

CINCINNATI 5TH: M Belisle grounded out to shortstop. N Hopper struck out
swinging, N Hopper safe at on throwing error by catcher P Lo Duca.
J Keppinger doubled to left, N Hopper scored, J Keppinger to third advancing on
throw. K Griffey Jr hit sacrifice fly to right, J Keppinger scored. B Phillips
walked. B Phillips stole second. A Dunn walked. J Cantu walked, B Phillips to
third, A Dunn to second. A Gonzalez grounded out to pitcher. (2 Runs, 1 Hit,
1 Error) NY METS 3, CINCINNATI 5.

NY METS 6TH: R Gotay singled to left. D Wright lined out to right.
R Gotay to second on wild pitch by M Belisle. C Beltran homered to center,
R Gotay scored. B Bray relieved M Belisle. C Delgado reached on infield single
to second. M Alou singled to right, C Delgado to second. S Green doubled to
deep center, C Delgado and M Alou scored. G Majewski relieved B Bray.
P Lo Duca singled to center, S Green scored, P Lo Duca to second advancing on throw.
L Milledge hit for O Perez. L Milledge grounded into fielder's choice to
third, P Lo Duca out at third, L Milledge to second. J Reyes popped out to
shortstop. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 6TH: G Mota relieved O Perez. D Ross grounded out to third.
J Votto hit for G Majewski. J Votto struck out swinging. N Hopper singled to
left. N Hopper stole second. J Keppinger flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 5.

NY METS 7TH: E Guardado relieved G Majewski. R Gotay walked. D Wright
flied out to center. C Beltran fouled out to catcher. C Delgado grounded out
to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 7TH: P Feliciano relieved G Mota. K Griffey Jr singled to left.
B Phillips reached on infield single to shortstop, K Griffey Jr to second.
A Dunn singled to left center, K Griffey Jr scored, B Phillips to second.
J Cantu grounded into double play, third to first, B Phillips out at third,
A Dunn to second. A Gonzalez walked. J Valentin hit for D Ross. J Valentin
grounded out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 8, CINCINNATI 6.

NY METS 8TH: J Valentin catching. T Coffey relieved E Guardado. M Alou
singled to center. E Chavez ran for M Alou. S Green singled to right, E Chavez
to third. S Green stole second. P Lo Duca homered to left, E Chavez and
S Green scored. M Anderson hit for P Feliciano. M Anderson walked. B Salmon
relieved T Coffey. J Reyes popped out to third. M Anderson to second on passed
ball by J Valentin. R Gotay walked. D Wright flied out to center. C Beltran
walked, M Anderson to third, R Gotay to second. C Delgado struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 8TH: A Heilman relieved P Feliciano. E Chavez in right field.
S Green at first base. M Anderson in left field. B Coats hit for B Salmon.
B Coats struck out swinging. N Hopper lined out to second. J Keppinger struck
out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 6.

NY METS 9TH: J Burton relieved B Salmon. E Chavez struck out swinging.
S Green flied out to center. P Lo Duca grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 9TH: S Schoeneweis relieved A Heilman. K Griffey Jr grounded out
to first. B Phillips homered to left center. A Dunn grounded out to first.
J Cantu grounded out to third. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 7.</div>

 

Lo Duca's career night helps power Mets past Reds

<h3>NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 7</h3>CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The New York Mets powered their way to aseason-high fifth straight win on Tuesday, less than a weekafter they were in the midst of one of their worst losingstreaks of the year.


Paul Lo Duca hit a pair of three-run homers and set a careerhigh with seven RBI as the Mets defeated the Cincinnati Reds,11-7, on Tuesday.


Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer and Shawn Green hit thego-ahead two-run double in a five-run sixth inning for the Mets,who had tied a season high with five straight losses lastThursday.


With the win, New York (78-60) remained five games ahead of thePhiladelphia Phillies (73-65) in the National League East.

Trailing the Reds, 5-3, in the top of the sixth, New York strungfive straight hits together to reclaim the lead. After RubenGotay singled to start the inning, Beltran tied the game withhis 27th home run of the season off Cincinnati starter MattBelisle, who yielded five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Bill Bray (3-2) then entered, Carlos Delgado and Moises Aloueach singled, and both scored on Green's two-run double toright-center that gave the Mets the lead for good. Lo Ducafollowed with an RBI single to center, stretching the Mets leadto 8-5.


Lo Duca, who had not homered since June 30, put New York on theboard first with a three-run shot in the top of the secondinning. His blast off Todd Coffey in the top of the eighth gavehis team some breathing room, giving the Mets an 11-6advantage.


The run support was what Mets starter Oliver Perez (13-9) neededto win his career-high 13th game of the season. The lefthandergave up five runs on four hits in five innings while strikingout two and walking five.


The Reds got on the board in the bottom of the third when NorrisHopper delivered an RBI double down the left field line toscore Alex Gonzalez, cutting the deficit to 3-1.


After Cincinnati tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, ittook the lead in the fifth. Hopper reached first base afterstriking out when Lo Duca's throw was wild. Jeff Keppingerfollowed with a double down the left field line to score Hopperand moved to third on the throw to the plate. Ken Griffey, Jr.hit a sacrifice fly to right, giving Cincinnati a 5-3 lead.

Brandon Phillips added his 27th home run of the season for theReds, who have lost five games in a row.

 

Lo Duca's career night helps power Mets past Reds

<h3>NY METS 11, CINCINNATI 7</h3>CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The New York Mets powered their way to aseason-high fifth straight win on Tuesday, less than a weekafter they were in the midst of one of their worst losingstreaks of the year.


Paul Lo Duca hit a pair of three-run homers and set a careerhigh with seven RBI as the Mets defeated the Cincinnati Reds,11-7, on Tuesday.


Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer and Shawn Green hit thego-ahead two-run double in a five-run sixth inning for the Mets,who had tied a season high with five straight losses lastThursday.


"This is fun after what happened in Philadelphia," Lo Duca saidof being swept in four games, culminating in the club's fifthstraight loss last week. "I'm just happy to contribute. I feelgood now. This year hasn't turned out the way I wanted."

With the win, New York (78-60) remained five games ahead of thePhiladelphia Phillies (73-65) in the National League East.

New York manager Willie Randolph was surprised that the fivestraight wins were a season high.


"We have been pretty consistent all year," Randolph said. "We'vedone a good job of winning series and not getting too high ortoo low."


Trailing the Reds, 5-3, in the top of the sixth, New York strungfive straight hits together to reclaim the lead. After RubenGotay singled to start the inning, Beltran tied the game withhis 27th home run of the season off Cincinnati starter MattBelisle, who yielded five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Bill Bray (3-2) then entered, Carlos Delgado and Moises Aloueach singled, and both scored on Green's two-run double toright-center that gave the Mets the lead for good. Lo Ducafollowed with an RBI single to center, stretching the Mets leadto 8-5.


Lo Duca, who had not homered since June 30, put New York on theboard first with a three-run shot in the top of the secondinning. His blast off Todd Coffey in the top of the eighth washis seventh of the season, and gave the Mets an 11-6 advantage.

"I'm just as happy with that single (in the sixth). I fought offa tough pitch," said Lo Duca, who took ribbing after his firsthome run landed in the first row in left.


It was the third time the Mets catcher had a two homer game, butthe last one was six years ago when he was a member of theDodgers in a game against San Diego.


The run support was what Mets starter Oliver Perez (13-9) neededto win his career-high 13th game of the season. The lefthandergave up five runs on four hits in five innings while strikingout two and walking five.


Perez has walked 15 batters in his last three games andattributes it to trying too hard.


"I've got to keep working," Perez said. "I'm trying to do alittle more. Sometimes I go down (sidearm) when I don't haveto. It's more important that we win rather than worry about howI pitch."


The Reds got on the board in the bottom of the third when NorrisHopper delivered an RBI double down the left field line toscore Alex Gonzalez, cutting the deficit to 3-1.


After Cincinnati tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, ittook the lead in the fifth. Hopper reached first base afterstriking out when Lo Duca's throw was wild. Jeff Keppingerfollowed with a double down the left field line to score Hopperand moved to third on the throw to the plate. Ken Griffey, Jr.hit a sacrifice fly to right, giving Cincinnati a 5-3 lead.

Brandon Phillips added his 27th home run of the season for theReds, who have lost five games in a row.


"There is not a lot to talk about," Cincinnati interim managerPete Mackanin said after the loss. "It was a good game for fiveinnings, Belisle did OK. The roof caved in the sixth and it wentdownhill from there."