Reds rally past Mets with five-run 8th inning

Spencer Steer hit a tiebreaking three-run homer to highlight a five-run eighth inning Saturday as the host Cincinnati Reds rallied for a 9-6 win over the New York Mets.

The Reds rebounded after squandering a two-run lead earlier in the game.

The Reds trailed 5-4 before the first seven batters reached in the eighth against Yohan Ramirez (0-1). Elly De La Cruz tied the game with a check-swing RBI single and stole second one pitch before Steer's homer.

Ramirez threw 41 pitches in the eighth, the most he's thrown in a big-league outing.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand culminated the scoring with a sacrifice fly later in the inning for the Reds, who avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

De La Cruz (RBI groundout) and Jonathan India (bases-loaded walk) gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Reds then gave up the next five runs before beginning their comeback. Stuart Fairchild had a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth, when Steer stole home on the back end of a double steal.

Steer and Fairchild had two hits apiece.

Emilio Pagan (1-0), the Reds' third pitcher, tossed a scoreless eighth. Starter Nick Martinez gave up five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

Omar Narvaez and Brandon Nimmo each had two-RBI hits in the fourth inning for the Mets, who were trying to win consecutive games for the first time. Tyrone Taylor had an RBI double in the fifth and Brett Baty added a run-scoring single in the ninth off Alexis Diaz, pitching in a non-save situation.

Narvaez, batting ninth, finished 3-for-4. The three hits were the most for Narvaez since he had three hits for the Milwaukee Brewers on May 29, 2022. Starling Marte had two hits and two stolen bases while Nimmo and Baty each had two hits.

Luis Severino allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings.