Mike Moustakas broke a scoreless tie in the ninth inning with a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Tommy Pham with the winning run against Seth Lugo.
Pham opened the inning with a double. The Mets walked Tyler Naquin intentionally and Donovan Solono worked a walk. Moustakas provided the lone run of the game with a liner to center.
"It is kind of how you want to draw it up when you're coming up to win the game," Moustakas said. "Tommy had a great at bat. Donnie (Donovan Solano) with a phenominal at bat as usual. Obviously, the pressure is on the pitcher. You just get a pitch to hit and don't miss it."
After going 77 games without a walk off win, the Reds have won two of the last three games with ninth inning clutch runs.
"Those walk offs can be contagious. You can learn from that when you're in that situation," David Bell said.
Coming off the injured list from a strained back, Lodolo pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed three singles, walked three and hit a batter.
"Lodolo as good as he was that lineup made him work. He was really on a mission," Bell said.
Lodolo has his share of confidence without being cocky. The three rookies in the Reds' rotation share the same confident, competitivness.
Asked if he exceeded expectations Lodolo's answer was a difinitive, "No."
It was cool taking the same mound as a guy like that (Scherzer) but overall when I entered the game, I didn't really think about it. I'm really not going against him, I'm focused on their lineup," Lodolo said.
He went to full counts on the first three hitters but adjusted. After a two-out walk to Starling Marte, who reached base in his first three plate appearances.
Joel Kuhnel got the final out of the fifth.
Predictedly, the Reds batters did little with Scherzer, who came into the game with 195 wins and a microscopic 0.33 ERA at Great American Ball Park. He has a 6-2 record against the Reds, lifetime with a 1.84 ERA.
Scherzer won the 2013 Cy Young Award with Detroit and in 2016 and 2017 with Washington.
Donovan Solano and newly activated, Tyler Naquin managed ground singles against "Mad Max".
Kuhnel was relieved by Ross Detwiler, who pitched an inning. Jeff Hoffman came in as Brandon Nimmo singled off Detwiler. Marte reached base for the fourth time with his second single to put runners on first and second with two outs but Francisco Lindor fouled out to catcher Michael Papierski.
Joely Rodriguez took over in the seventh for Scherzer who retired the last eight Reds' batters, six by strikeout. He allowed two hits, no walks and struck out 11.
Hoffman kept the game scoreless for the Reds. Tommy Hunter entered to pitch the eighth.
Nick Senzel opened the eighth with the Reds third hit. Former Met, Matt Reynolds walked. Papierski bunted the runners up a base. Jonathon India popped out to first base for the second out. Brandon Drury flied out to shallow right field to end the threat.
Hunter Strickland entered in the ninth to face the bottom of the Mets lineup which he retired in order.
Seth Lugo was the Mets' choice for the ninth inning facing the middle of the Reds' order.
The talk aftet the game centered around how well Lodolo competed against an ultra competitive Scherzer, who lowered even further his ERA at GABP
"Scherzer's been doing that for a lot of years," Moustakas. "Lodolo, that's unbelievable stuff man. I was playing first base so I didn't see how it was breaking but seeing their swings. He was tough to hit obviously."
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