Mets miss the big hit, get swept by Reds

NEW YORK – Chris Young found plenty to like about his performance — seven pain-free innings against a first-place team.

Still, his first major league loss since 2009 left him disappointed

"Ultimately, it wasn't enough," he said.

Brandon Phillips hit a tiebreaking single and made a between-the-legs flip to start a flashy double play, leading Johnny Cueto and the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets 3-1 Sunday for their sixth straight win.

The NL Central leaders completed their first three-game sweep in New York since 2001 and matched their longest winning streak of the season. The Reds also finished 6-2 this year in visits to Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.

The Mets lost their fourth in a row at home. They were outscored 14-5 in the series, right after sweeping pitching-rich Tampa Bay and outscoring the Rays 29-9.

"We're sputtering a little bit offensively," David Wright said. "Our starting pitching hasn't been bad. We just haven't been able to get them any runs."

Cueto (8-3) struck out a season-high eight in seven innings. He also doubled for the first extra-base hit of his career.

The only run against Cueto came when he issued a bases-loaded walk to Young — at 6-foot-10, the Mets starter has a strike zone as large as anyone in the majors.

Young (1-1) gave up two earned runs in seven innings. His four-game winning streak, which began in 2010 and was prolonged by a series of injuries, came to an end.

"It's a good test for my shoulder," he said. "When I step back and look at things, I'm 13 months out of surgery and to be at this point ... is good."

Sean Marshall got four outs for his ninth save in 10 chances.

Phillips' single capped a three-run rally in the fifth, helped by right fielder Lucas Duda's wild throw. There was plenty of wildlife on the field, too — a squirrel scampered into the Reds' dugout in the ninth, and several pigeons spent part of the game wandering around the infield dirt.

It was 3-1 in the sixth when Duda led off with a single and Ike Davis followed with a hard grounder up the middle that Phillips backhanded. While in full stride, the three-time Gold Glove second baseman tossed the ball with his bare hand between his legs to shortstop Zack Cozart, who made the DP relay. Phillips broke into a big smile after his latest highlight-reel play.

The Mets lost their sixth straight game on Father's Day. Davis, whose dad, Ron, was a longtime pitcher in the majors, scored New York's only run when Young walked with two outs in second.

Cueto had been 0-3 lifetime against the Mets and had consistently been hit hard by them. He allowed six hits and walked one.

Cueto had gone 216 at-bats at the plate with only singles until he crept up in the batter's box and led off with an opposite-field drive that bounced over the right-field wall in the third. He was left stranded and then in the bottom of the inning, he threw one pitch and needed a break because he felt dizzy.

Reds manager Dusty Baker and a trainer went to Cueto and eventually a cup was brought to give the right-hander a drink.

Cozart doubled with two outs in the fifth and scored the tying run on a single by Wilson Valdez. Joey Votto was intentionally walked and Phillips hit an RBI single, with another run scoring when Duda's throw to third bounced into the stands for an error.

NOTES: A day after the Mets put LF Jason Bay on the 7-day disabled list for concussions, manager Terry Collins said it was too early to predict his future. "I'm really worried about the severity of this injury," Collins said. "There's always the possibility that he doesn't bounce back." ... Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning threw out the first ball as part of a promotion to celebrate Father's Day. "I'd like to get up on the mound, toe the rubber, whip it in there," said the Giants QB and former high school 2B. Instead, clutching 15-month-old daughter, Ava, in his left arm, he lobbed a toss to Wright from the grass. Manning said he took a few warmups in the bullpen during his first trip to Citi Field. Asked whether he preferred the Mets or Yankees, he smartly answered: "I'm a New York fan." ... Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (10-1, 2.20 ERA) starts for the Mets on Monday night at home against Baltimore's Jake Arrieta.