New York @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2014 ) NY Mets 14, Cincinnati 5

The New York Mets look to build upon their best offensive output of the season when they continue a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati on Saturday. The Mets matched a season high with 18 hits in a 14-5 victory to open the set, hammering five home runs for the first time in nearly eight years. Travis d'Arnaud remained hot with a three-run homer and an RBI single as he improved to 9-for-16 over his last four games.

While New York has averaged 8.7 runs during its three-game winning streak, Cincinnati has given up an average of 8.5 during its four-game slide. The Reds are 15-31 since the All-Star break while falling eight games behind Milwaukee for the second wild card in the National League, one game behind the Mets. New York has won eight of the last 11 meetings on the road.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Dillon Gee (6-6, 3.81 ERA) vs. Reds RH Johnny Cueto (16-8, 2.26)

Gee has won back-to-back starts, allowing five runs in 12 2/3 innings in the process. He struck out seven - one shy of a season high - in six frames of a win over Philadelphia on Sunday, which gave him consecutive quality starts for the first time since coming off the disabled list in the beginning of July. Gee allowed three runs in a season-high 7 1/3 innings against the Reds at home on April 5, which was just his second all-time meeting with Cincinnati.

Cueto bounced back from a pair of bumpy outings, relative to the rest of his phenomenal campaign, to spin eight solid innings in a win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. He gave up two runs in eight frames, the fourth time in six August starts that he has lasted that long. Cueto yielded two runs and five hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts opposite Gee in April, lowering his ERA in nine career starts versus New York to 4.50.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets 3B David Wright is 10-for-23 with seven RBIs in his last five games.

2. Reds 2B Brandon Phillips has two home runs in seven at-bats against Gee.

3. New York SS Wilmer Flores is 10-for-25 with six runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Reds 4, Mets 3