CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Sal Stewart’s three-run home run and Spencer Steer’s solo shot in the first inning propelled the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park, spoiling the Mets’ bid for a series-opening rebound after a lopsided loss the previous day.

The Reds, now 35-37, won their second straight game and improved to 3-1 against the Mets this season. The Mets fell to 32-41, dropping their second in a row after a 12-0 shutout loss Monday in the series opener.

The game’s pivotal moment came in the bottom of the first, when Cincinnati sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs on just two hits, both of which left the yard. After Blake Dunn and JJ Bleday drew walks from Mets starter Kodai Senga, Stewart launched a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his 14th homer of the season, giving the Reds a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, Steer followed with a solo homer to left-center, his 11th, pushing the lead to 4-0.

Senga, who entered the game with an 0-4 record, labored through the inning, throwing 29 pitches and allowing the two homers, but settled down afterward. He lasted four innings, giving up two hits and four earned runs while striking out five and walking three. He took the loss, falling to 0-5.

The Mets chipped away in the third. After Brett Baty was hit by a pitch, MJ Melendez forced Baty at second on a fielder’s choice but advanced to second on a single by Francisco Alvarez. Bo Bichette then singled to center, scoring Melendez and cutting the deficit to 4-1. The Mets loaded the bases with a walk to Juan Soto, but Jared Young flied out to shortstop to end the inning, leaving three runners stranded.

Cincinnati added an insurance run in the fifth. Edwin Arroyo led off with a double, moved to third on a bunt single by Blake Dunn and scored on a line-drive single to left by Stewart, extending the lead to 5-1. Stewart finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs.

The Mets responded in the sixth. Marcus Semien singled to right off Reds starter Brady Singer and advanced to second on a fielding error by right fielder Spencer Steer. After Brett Baty struck out, pinch hitter Mark Vientos crushed a 2-2 pitch to left field for his eighth home run of the season, scoring Semien and trimming the lead to 5-3. Vientos, who entered as a pinch hitter and stayed in the game at first base, went 1 for 2 with the homer and two RBIs.

New York’s bullpen kept the game within reach. Austin Warren tossed a scoreless sixth, allowing one hit and striking out one. Huascar Brazoban and Luke Weaver each threw a perfect inning, with Brazoban striking out two and Weaver fanning three. But the Mets could not push across any more runs.

Singer, the Reds’ right-hander, earned the win, improving to 3-6. He worked five innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out four and walking three. Tony Santillan pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to record his fourth save of the season, working around a one-out single by Juan Soto in the ninth before striking out Eric Wagaman and getting A.J. Ewing to ground out to shortstop.

For the Mets, Bichette had two hits, including an RBI single, and finished 2 for 5. Alvarez went 1 for 2 with two walks. Vientos provided the biggest offensive spark with his pinch-hit homer. Carson Benge, starting in right field, went 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Reds hitters Stewart and Steer accounted for all the early damage. Stewart’s three-run homer was the decisive blow, and Steer’s solo shot provided immediate separation. Blake Dunn walked twice, scored a run and added a bunt single.

Attendance was 28,710, and the game lasted 2 hours, 53 minutes.

The Mets, who had won four of their previous five games before arriving in Cincinnati, now look to avoid a three-game sweep Wednesday. The Reds, after dropping six of their previous seven, have won back-to-back games for the first time since May 31-June 2.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of New York Mets 5, Cincinnati Reds 2. Interstat’s ELO system had given the Mets a 50.30 percent probability to win. New York had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 8 went over the over-under line of 9.