CINCINNATI — Francisco Lindor hit a home run and ended an 0-for-24 skid as the New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Sunday.
Lindor was 1 for 31 this season coming into the game. It was the third-longest hitless streak of his career, but Lindor felt like a breakthrough was coming.
“Guess I felt like I’ve had good at-bats," Lindor said. "The day before I had good at-bats. It’s just one of those things where they just need to go through. As soon as I hit the ball, I put my head down. I kind of looked up, and it was like, ‘Thank God’. It felt good to contribute and help the team win.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza knew at some point, Lindor would “get going.”
“He’s a good hitter, a special player,” Mendoza said. "Good to see him get a couple hits today.”
Sean Manaea (1-0) had another strong outing for the Mets. He lowered his earned-run average to 0.82 after allowing one run and three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out six.
“For him to go six, I thought he was really good," Mendoza said. "Kept us in the game. Got a ground ball when we needed it.”
The Mets had 10 baserunners in the first three innings, but only scored two runs.
Lindor’s first home run of the season came off Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (0-1) in the fourth.
“You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow," Lindor said. "I just have to stay locked in and continue to grind. Teammates and coaches have helped me a lot.”
Santiago Espinal had a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Reds.
“Manaea was really good today," Reds manager David Bell said. "He had the cutter and sweeper in to our right-handers. We had some hard hit balls but he really pitched well.”
Four Mets relievers combined to toss four shutout innings including Edwin Diaz, who had two strikeouts in the ninth for his second save.
It was a good bounce back for the bullpen, which allowed seven earned runs in Saturday's loss.
“Credit to the bullpen," Mendoza said. "They are a big part of what we are doing here. Continuing to attack the hitters and make pitches.”
The victory gave the Mets (3-6) their first series win of the season after an 0-5 start. A four-game series in Atlanta begins Monday.
“There are a lot of guys here who are hungry and want to win,” Lindor said. “The vibe hasn't changed since spring training. It's an uphill fight. We just have to keep climbing.”
TRAINERS ROOM
Mets: RHP Max Kranick (left hamstring strain) threw 22 pitches for Class A Port St. Lucie on Sunday, allowing two hits and a walk.
Reds: RHP Tejay Antone left Sunday's game after throwing one pitch in the sixth inning then grabbing at his right elbow. Antone returned in September after missing all of 2022 following a pair of Tommy John surgeries.
UP NEXT
RHP Graham Ashcraft (0-1, 3.00) starts for the Reds on Monday to open a four-game series against the Brewers.
RHP Julio Teheran will make his Mets debut in Monday's series opener in Atlanta.
