Mets win ninth straight game with 4-0 win over Reds

The Mets won their ninth straight game on Saturday night after beating the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, at Citi Field.

Here are the takeaways…

-Without a hit through the first four innings, the Mets got the scoring started in the sixth after Harrison Bader hit a solo shot off reliever Sam Moll.

Bader snapped an 0-for-15 slump with his bomb to right-center field. It was the center fielder’s 11th home run of the season batting in the No. 9 spot.

Francisco Lindor followed with a walk and after a hit by pitch to Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso hit an RBI single to double New York’s lead. J.D. Martinez then drove in two with a double that gave the Mets a 4-0 advantage which is all they would need.

-That’s because Jose Quintana was on top of his game, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings. The left-hander scattered just five hits and walked two while striking out six to secure his eighth win of the season. He lowered his season ERA to 4.09 and has gone three straight starts without allowing more than one earned run.

The win also marked the 35-year-old’s 100th win of his career. He’s the first Colombian-born pitcher to record 100 wins in the majors as his family was in the crowd supporting him while he achieved that feat.

-Lindor’s 16-game hitting streak came to an end after an 0-for-3 night, although he did extend his on-base streak to 34 games after working a walk. The shortstop also scored his 100th run of the season.

-After Jeff McNeil landed on the injured list with a fractured wrist earlier in the day, Jose Iglesias got the start at second base and finished 2-for-4 while also being in the middle of two crucial double plays to help keep Quintana off the board.

The infielder’s double in the bottom of the fifth was the Mets’ first hit of the night and the only hit against Reds starter Jakob Junis who went five scoreless innings.

-In relief of Quintana, Adam Ottavino (0.1 IP), Danny Young (1 IP, 2 K) and Edwin Diaz (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) kept Cincinnati scoreless as Mets pitchers struck out 10 batters on the night.

-The San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves all lost on Saturday which means the Mets gained ground on all three teams in the NL Wild Card standings. New York is now in sole possession of the final Wild Card spot and trails Arizona by 0.5 game. The Padres own the top spot, but are now just 2.0 games in front of the Mets.