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Reyes, Mets earn series split against Reds

Jul 20, 2008 - 10:07 PM By Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The New York Mets rallied for two runs in the top of the 10th inning to post a 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

The win secured a split of the four game series for New York, which had lost back to back games after winning 10 straight.

Robinson Cancel led off the 10th with a pinch-hit double off lefthander Bill Bray (2-1). After Jose Reyes' bunt single, Cancel scored when Cincinnati third baseman Edwin Encarnacion threw away a double-play ball hit by Argenis Reyes.

"(Cancel) has that kind of professional approach where you feel like you are going to get a good at-bat from him," Mets manager Jerry Manual said. "That was big for him. Not having the opportunity to hit as much, having the opporuntiy to come in and get a big hit for the team really makes him feel like a big part of what we are trying to do here."

Jose Reyes used his speed later in the inning to score on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Delgado to shallow right field.

Duaner Sanchez (5-1) worked two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Billy Wagner pitched a perfect 10th, striking out the side for his 24th save.

"We knew coming in here that no matter what their record was, they were a good hitting team with quality pitching that can hold you down," Wagner said. "Today we battled their best, and Pelfrey did a great job for us, and we got the hits to put us over the top."

All-Star righthander Edinson Volquez labored through five innings, keeping the Reds in the game by allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out three.

Volquez ran into trouble in the first, throwing 29 pitches and allowing a run on Carlos Beltran's RBI single, but escaped further damage by leaving the bases loaded.

After the Mets stranded two more runners in the second, they finally caught up with Volquez in the third inning, when Ramon Castro connected for a two-run home run with two outs for a 3-1 advantage.

"I got a sinker inside," Castro said. "I was waiting for that pitch and took care of it."

Adam Dunn, Encarncacion and Brandon Phillips each homered - all solo shots - for Cincinnati.

New York righthander Mike Pelfrey went seven innings, allowing five runs on six hits and struck out four. He had won his six previous starts.

"Considering that I had a 4-1 lead early in the game and coughed it back up (was displeasing)," Pelfrey said. "But pitching into the seventh I thought was good. And we won, as long as we win it will be OK."

Phillips' blast gave Cincinnati a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth but Delgado tied the game for the Mets with an RBI single in the seventh.

"We're in and out of trouble all day and you can't get into trouble without something happening," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Edinson battled, he wasn't as sharp as he usually is. We fought back and fought back, we just had that bad 10th inning."