Mets 8, Reds 3

5/11/2008 3:42 PM

By RACHEL COHEN
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning to support Oliver Perez and lead the New York Mets to an 8-3 victory Sunday over the bumbling Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds batted out of order in the ninth after an earlier double switch, with backup catcher David Ross coming to the plate in the No. 8 spot instead of Corey Patterson. Ross flied out to right. Once Mets manager Willie Randolph informed the umpires of the mistake, the out was charged to Patterson after a prolonged discussion by the umpires, and Ross batted again. This time, he singled.

Reflecting their inconsistent offense, the Mets hadn't hit back-to-back home runs this season before Saturday. They've now done it twice in two days.

Perez (3-3) got his first win since April 19, though the left-hander still had trouble with his command at times.

Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger had a hit in seven straight at-bats before striking out in the eighth. He went 5-for-5 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader before adding a single and triple Sunday.

The Mets have had at least 11 hits in four of their last five games. The one exception was a 7-1 loss in Saturday's nightcap, in which they managed just four. They had that many in a three-run first inning Sunday.

Jose Reyes led off with a single, stole second and scored on Luis Castillo's triple.

Castillo ripped a line drive to right-center between Ken Griffey Jr. and Ryan Freel. Griffey pulled up at the last second, while Freel dived unsuccessfully for the ball, which rolled all the way to the wall.

Doubles by Beltran and Moises Alou drove in two more runs.

Perez cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit. His control started to waver in the fifth, when he walked Keppinger and hit Freel with a pitch that bounced in the dirt.

But he struck out Joey Votto to escape the jam. Perez fanned left-handed hitters Votto, Paul Bako and Adam Dunn two times apiece.

This wouldn't be the day Perez pitched more than six innings for the first time this season. With the Mets leading 6-0 after the back-to-back homers, he walked Griffey to open the sixth.

After a double, triple, wild pitch and three deep flyball outs, the Reds had pulled within 6-3.

The Mets got two of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. Jose Reyes' hard grounder down the third-base line went under Edwin Encarnacion's glove for a two-out double. Damion Easley, who had replaced Castillo (left quadriceps discomfort) at second, drove him in. The Mets added another run on a David Wright single with the help of a wild pitch that moved Easley to second.

Griffey remained stalled at 597 home runs in his bid to become the sixth player with 600. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and hasn't homered since April 23.

Reds rookie Johnny Cueto fell to 2-4 after allowing just three runs in the first two starts of his career. After the three-run first, he allowed just one hit over the next three innings before running into trouble again in the fifth.

Beltran went deep with Castillo aboard, his first home run since April 24, before Church connected. Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider went back-to-back in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Notes: The Mets announced that Jets Night at Shea has been rescheduled for July 8 before their game against the San Francisco Giants. Former Jets players including Pro Bowlers Joe Klecko and Wesley Walker will be honored during a pregame ceremony. The original event was rained out April 28. The Jets played at Shea from 1964-83. ... Perez had a successful offensive day. He caught the Reds napping after he walked in the second inning, stealing second without a throw. It was his third career steal. He added a bunt single in the fourth when Cueto tried to barehand the ball and couldn't get a grip on it. ... Mets reserve outfielder Angel Pagan, who bruised the labrum in his left shoulder Wednesday, returned as a pinch hitter. ... The Mets have yet to pick a starter for Wednesday's game against Washington. They will probably call up a minor leaguer, Randolph said. ... This was the Reds' last scheduled appearance at Shea before the Mets move to a new park next year. Their record there is 126-131.