CINCINNATI (AP) – Daniel Murphy had three hits, including a tiebreaking triple in the seventh inning, and the New York Mets closed in on their first playoff appearance in nine years by beating the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 on Thursday night.
The victory, combined with Washington’s loss to Baltimore, reduced the Mets’ magic number for clinching the NL East title to three.
Steven Matz tried to extend his record-setting start with the Mets, but couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead. He’d allowed two or fewer runs in each of his first five starts – a club record – but gave up a pair of RBI singles by Brandon Phillips and left with the game tied 3-all in the sixth.
Murphy’s two-out triple off left-hander Manny Parra (1-2) started a three-run rally in the seventh. Yoenis Cespedes singled for another run, and Lucas Duda followed with his second RBI double of the game.
Erik Goeddel (1-1) retired the only batter he faced in the sixth. Jay Bruce hit a solo homer off Hansel Robles in the eighth, cutting it to 6-4. Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth for his 42nd save in 47 chances, one shy of Armando Benitez’s club record from 2001.