The New York Mets scored five runs in the 10th innings to take a 8-3 decision and win the series.
Dauri Moreta gave up a run scoring double just inside the first base line by Dominic Smith to score the ghost runner. With two outs, David Bell elected to walk Luis Guillorme to face light hitting James McCann, who spoiled the strategy with a ground single to left, allowing Smith to beat the throw from Tommy Pham.
Brandon Nimmo followed with a three-run home run, his seventh of the season.
"You have to play all nine innings, sometimes 10," David Bell said. "That's what we did and that's what the Mets did. They got us tonight but we gave ourselves a chance to win."
Two young pitchers battled on Wednesday. Graham Ashcraft started for Cincinnati. David Peterson, a new father, came off paternity leave to pitch for the Mets.
"Graham was really good," Bell said. "No walks not that many strikeouts, one, maybe two, I don't even know but it just speaks to how hard it is to square the ball up off of him. He was really good tonight against that lineup."
Ashcraft has had some good games among his first nine starts but two of his last three he has allowed 13 runs in 7 2/3 innings. Between the two he had an eight inning start against the San Francisco Giants. He allowed two runs over eight innings.
Peterson started the game with a 5-1 record. He has allowed no more than four runs in any of his 10 starts.
The Mets scored in the first on a single by Jeff McNeil, whose batting average is second in the National League. Nimmo was hit with a pitch to start the frame. Pete Alonso smashed a two-out single past second baseman Matt Reynolds in front of McNeil's single.
Nick Senzel hit his third home run with Reynolds on base off Peterson. The Reds added a run in the third inning. Brandon Drury singled. He found his way to third with a stolen base and a wild pitch. Kyle Farmer returning from a sore wrist, doubled on a ball that hit a couple feet fair and bounced into the Mets bullpen in right.
Ashcraft allowed a leadoff double to Dominic Smith in the fourth. He scored when Ashcraft shattered Tomas Nido's bat and the ball flaired into right for a hit.
The Reds wasted a chance in the bottom of the fourth. Senzel and Albert Almora Jr. walked but Nido picked Senzel off second base. Michael Papierski walked but Mike Moustakas, who replaced Jonathan India as DH struck out. Adonis Medina relieved Peterson and fanned Drury to end the threat.
Ashcraft allowed 10 hits over his six innings but kept the Mets off the scoreboard in the last two innings in spite of not having a one-two-three inning.
"He trusted his stuff and threw strikes. When you do that you're going to give up hits but he kept making pitches," Bell said.
As confident as a young pitcher can be, Ashcraft is improving and understanding what it takes to stay in the big leagues and not just make it here.
"I was just missing the bottom of the zone a little bit. This whole season has been learning. Learning to throw to these hitter and learning myself even more," Ashcraft said. "You can't take a day for granted. You have to learn each day. If you look at it I'm a ground ball pitcher. Striking out 10 would be cool but I'd rather get ground balls and get quick outs."
Joel Kuhnel got two outs in the seventh before Pete Alonso singled for his fourt hit. David Bell brought in Reiver Sanmartin, who got McNeil out on one pitch.
Sanmartin added another scoreless inning.
Hunter Strickland gave up a single to Nimmo and a run scoring double to Starling Marte to tie the game. He got Francisco Lindor on a comeback to the mound for the second out. He got Alonso to pop out the catcher, looking for his fifth hit.
Jonathan India left the game after he was hit by a pitch on the ankle.
"It just missed my pad," India said. "It is swollen but its not broken. Its been a weird year but that's part of it."
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