The Cincinnati Reds' bats erupted in a decisive 8-4 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night, powered by a relentless fifth-inning rally that buried New York's bullpen. Austin Hays delivered the knockout blow with a two-run homer—his second blast of the game—capping a six-run explosion that turned a tight 1-1 game into a rout. Hays finished with three RBI, while Matt McLain and Tyler Stephenson each contributed two hits and two runs driven in, overwhelming Mets relievers who couldn't contain Cincinnati's aggression. The Reds' patience paid off too, drawing seven walks to grind down a normally stingy New York staff.

Mets starter Sean Manaea cruised through four innings with six strikeouts, but the wheels fell off in the fifth when Alejandro Carrillo surrendered three homers—including Hays' backbreaker—in just 1.1 innings. Juan Soto's solo shot in the eighth provided little consolation for New York, whose offense managed just four runs despite 10 hits. The loss drops the Mets further in the wild-card chase, while the Reds' resurgent offense—now averaging over five runs per game in July—rolls into Saturday with momentum and a bullpen barely tested thanks to Nick Lodolo's seven strong innings.