Mets 5, Reds 2 - Cincinnati swept in New York despite leading in all three games

The Noe Juxhall Hemorial Monorary Gar of the Stame

Zack Cozart should've told us all that the climax of Wednesday's contest between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets would be the very first at-bat, since I imagine we'd have all had a thirsty desire for an additional beer or nine.  Cozy whacked a solo dinger to begin the game and give the Reds the lead, but from that point forward things slowly rolled downhill.  The defense failed, the injury bug bit again, the bullpen drooled on itself yet again, and the bats largely went silent each and every time they were presented with an opportunity.

Cozart, though, continues to sparkle this season, his 2-hit evening leaving him with a cool .397 batting average and .603 slugging percentage through the season's first 22 games.  So, have yet another trophy, Zack, and here's to hoping you're still smacking the ball around successfully when the rest of the team takes off their goofy goggles while at the plate.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Jon Moscot, who allowed just a single earned run in his 5 innings on the mound; Joey Votto, who moved further from the schneid with another 2-hit evening; and Ross Ohlendorf, who dorfed a perfect dorf from the bulldorf.

Key Plays

• Cozart led off the Top of the 1st with a cracked-pepper dinger off Matt Harvey that cleared the wall in LF.  If the team he's been doing the leadoff dingering for is to be trusted, 'twas the 5th dinger of the leadoff variety in Cozart's career.  Reds led, 1-0.
• The Bottom of the 1st saw the worst of the Reds defense come to fore, and it cost them a pair of runs.  Alejandro De Aza led off with a single to CF, and he moved to 2B on a flyout to LF with a tag-up that appeared to take Adam Duvall a bit by surprise.  Jon Moscot then K'd Michael Conforto before getting Lucas Duda to lift what appeared to be the final out of the inning to LF, but it was dropped by Scott Schebler after hitting him in the glove. De Aza scored, Duda ended up on 2B, and Duda then scored the inning's second unearned run when Neil Walker singled to RF.  Dang defense.  Reds trailed, 2-1.
• Moscot pitched through some crowded bases to escape unscathed in the Bottom of the 2nd, but Neil Walker's absurd power surge struck him in the Bottom of the 3rd.  Walker turned around a fastball for his 9th homer of the month of April (and his 8th in his last dozen games), a solo shot to the deepest part of the park in CF.  Reds trailed, 3-1.
• Cincinnati got one back in the Top of the 5th once their top of the order came around to bat again.  Cozart reached on an infield hit, he moved to 2B when Votto poked a liner over David Wright and into LF, and Cozart then scored when Eugenio Suarez hit a soft single that found just enough of a hole by Walker at 2B to allow the runner to come home.  Reds trailed, 3-2.
• Blake Wood took over for Moscot for the Bottom of the 6th.  Blake Wood walked two guys in his 0.2 IP.  Both those walks would haunt, of course, as Drew Hayes relieved him and promptly allowed a 2-run double to the wall in left-center by Michael Conforto.  Reds trailed, 5-2.
• From that point on, the bats fell silent, and the Reds took yet another disappointing loss on the chin.  Reds lost, 5-2.