NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan India hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the New York Mets 5-3 on Friday night, another important victory in the tight National League wild-card race.
The Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks entered Friday two-thousandths of a percentage point behind the San Francisco Giants for the third wild card.
Grant Hartwig (4-2) plunked Luke Maile leading off the seventh. India then homered on a 2-2 pitch.
Pete Alonso had tied it for New York in the sixth with a 425-foot shot to left against Hunter Greene.
Lucas Sims (6-3) got the last out in the sixth. Alexis Díaz inherited a two-out, one-on jam and earned his 37th save — tied with Camilo Duval for the most in the NL — by retiring all five batters he faced.
Noelvi Marte went 3 for 4 and scored the Reds’ first run on a wild pitch in the fifth. Spencer Steer hit a two-run shot in the sixth.
Greene allowed four hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings.
Alonso, who hit a rookie-record 53 homers in 2019, is the fourth player in history — after Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder — to have at least two 45-homer seasons in his first five seasons.
Mets starter David Peterson gave up three runs (two earned) and tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
Alexis Díaz said he spent time earlier in the day with brother Edwin, the Mets closer who is trying to make it into a game this season after tearing his right patellar tendon during the World Baseball Classic in March.
Edwin Díaz has been throwing off the mound regularly for three weeks and is slated to throw at the Mets’ spring training facility in Florida next week, when New York visits the Marlins. Neither Díaz nor the team have ruled out the possibility he could pitch before the season concludes Oct. 1.
“Seems like he’s really getting close to where he could be, just like the pitcher he was beforehand,” Alexis Díaz said Friday afternoon through interpreter Jorge Merlos. “I know for a fact that he’s getting himself prepared and ready to go for the next time he pitches.”
Alexis, 26, and Edwin, 29, are the second set of brothers to each record a 30-save season. Todd Worrell had six seasons with at least 30 saves while Tim Worrell posted 38 saves for the San Francisco Giants in 2003.
Edwin Díaz’s four 30-save seasons are tied for fourth-most among active pitchers. Among brother tandems, only the Worrells (327 saves) have more saves than Alexis and Edwin Díaz, who have combined for 252 saves.
“All the things that he’s told me have helped me out so much this year, especially with the year that I’m having,” Alexis Díaz said.
HONORING CLEMENTE
Both teams wore no. 21 patches Friday, when Major League Baseball celebrated Roberto Clemente Day.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: OF Stuart Fairchild (COVID) went 0 for 2 with a run in his first rehab game for Triple-A Louisville.
Mets: Mauricio returned after missing two games due to illness. … 3B Brett Baty (left groin) sat for a second straight game, but hit and threw Friday afternoon.
UP NEXT
Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.64 ERA) opposes Mets RHP Tylor Megill (8-7, 5.03) on Saturday nigh.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
