Schwinden aims for first win as Mets battle Reds

Rookie right-hander Chris Schwinden takes his fourth try at ending series with the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field.

Schwinden, who turned 25 last week, made his major-league debut with a 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 8, then was beaten, 10-1, by Washington in his next outing on Sept. 15.

His last outing came Wednesday in St. Louis and ended with a no-decision in the Mets' 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.

In the three outings, the 6-foot-3, 165-pounder has allowed 18 hits and 10 runs in 16 innings while walking five batters and striking out 12.

The Reds counter with Homer Bailey, who can get to 10 wins for the first time in his career.

Also 25, Bailey had a career-high of eight wins in 2009 before dropping to just four victories in 19 starts in an injury-plagued 2010.

He picked up win No. 9 of 2011 on Sept. 20 against Houston with seven innings of two-run ball in a 6-4 victory and hasn't lost since Sept. 3 in St. Louis, a stretch of three starts.

Bailey dropped his only career meeting with the Mets after allowing nine runs on 12 hits in four innings of a 10-9 Mets win in Cincinnati on July 28.

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, Dontrelle Willis (1-6) tossed six solid innings and hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth to lift the Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Pirates.

The veteran hurler, salvaged from the scrap heap by the Reds this spring, allowed three runs on three hits. He walked two and fanned six to earn his first victory since June 5, 2010, as a member of the Diamondbacks.

Francisco Cordero allowed an RBI double to Neil Walker in the bottom of the ninth, but settled down to record his 35th save of the season.

In New York, the Philadelphia Phillies got back to looking like potential National League pennant winners as they pounded out 19 hits against the Mets to beat them, 9-4, to avoid being swept in a three-game series.

Ronny Paulino smacked a home run, Jason Pridie had three hits and Justin Turner chipped in with an RBI double for the Mets, who had their three-game winning streak halted.

Mike Pelfrey (7-13) was hammered in three innings of work, giving up nine runs on five hits.

The Mets swept a four-game set in Cincinnati from July 25-28.