Lo Duca powers Mets over Reds

Paul Lo Duca hit a pair of homers and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the New York Mets over the Cincinnati Reds, 11-7, at Great American Ball Park.

Lo Duca went 3-for-5 with two three-run shots for the Mets, who have won five straight, including the first two of this three-game set. Carlos Beltran added a two-run homer and Shawn Green ended 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored for New York, which continues to lead the NL East by five games over Philadelphia.

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2 on Tuesday night.

New York starting pitcher Oliver Perez (13-9) got the win, his third in four starts. The left-hander surrendered five runs -- three earned -- on four hits over five innings. He walked five and struck out two, improving to 6-3 in his last 10 starts.

Adam Dunn went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Brandon Phillips homered for the Reds, who have dropped five straight.

Trailing 5-3, the Mets went ahead for good in the sixth thanks to a five-run frame. Beltran tied the game with a one-out, two-run homer that forced Reds starter Matt Belisle from the game. New York continued to rally against reliever Bill Bray, after singles by Carlos Delgado and Moises Alou, Green doubled to chase home both runners for the lead. Green then scored when Lo Duca, who started the game's scoring with a three-run homer in the second inning, followed with a base hit off reliever Gary Majewski.

The Reds got a run back in the seventh when Dunn singled home Ken Griffey Jr., but Lo Duca hit his second three-run homer of the contest in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Phillips homered in the ninth to round out the scoring.

Belisle avoided the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 frames. Bray (3-2), though, didn't, yielding three runs on three hits without recording an out.

Delgado ended 3-for-5 and Alou went 2-for-4 for the Mets, who have won five of six so far this season from the Reds.

After Lo Duca's homer, Norris Hopper doubled home Alex Gonzalez in the third to cut the deficit to two runs. Then, in the fourth, Dunn singled home Griffey and Jorge Cantu's sacrifice fly plate Brandon Phillips to tie the game.

Cincinnati went ahead in the fifth courtesy of an RBI double by Jeff Keppinger and a sac fly by Griffey. Both runs were unearned as Hopper reached with one out after a third strike when Lo Duca uncorked a throwing error to try and record the out at first.