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NYM@CIN: Cairo's error allows everyone to reach base

CINCINNATI -- Walking off the field Tuesday night, the Reds were greeted by the stadium's fitting postgame music selection: Arcade Fire's "Wake Up."

Cincinnati seemed to be in a bit of stupor for the first couple of innings, falling behind after a pair of uncharacteristic errors. And even when the team awoke from its nap to stage a comeback, they only let the lead drift away again in the sixth inning, ultimately losing to the Mets, 8-6, at Great American Ball Park.

To fans and the media, the events unfolding on the field early in the evening seemed secondary to the team's announcement that left fielder Jonny Gomes had been traded to Washington. Even the players themselves seemed distracted.

"Probably so; he was a big part of our family here and a very popular guy on our team," manager Dusty Baker said. "Sometimes, you can't always time that."

Cincinnati tied its season high with three errors, and the Reds could have been called for a couple more. After Justin Turner doubled with one out in the first, Carlos Beltran reached on an error by Joey Votto, when a line drive bounced off his glove.

Turner later scored on a groundout, which should have ended the inning. But with an extra out, Daniel Murphy dropped an RBI single into right field. Even though he wasn't charged with an error, Jay Bruce had a chance to secure a basket catch, but he couldn't hold onto the ball.

The Mets added two runs in the third. Jose Reyes led off the inning by reaching on an error by Brandon Phillips, just his fourth of the season. Knowing the play would be close, Phillips rushed the play and mishandled the scoop.

Beltran later drove Reyes home, and David Wright reached on a ground ball through the left side. Heading to his left, third baseman Miguel Cairo had a shot at Wright's grounder, but he didn't catch up to it in time. Jason Bay then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

New York tacked on two more in the sixth against starter Johnny Cueto, this time on an error by Cairo. All six runs allowed by Cueto were unearned. Regardless, he allowed a season-high seven hits and lasted only five innings, snapping a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts and dropping him to 6-4 on the year.

"He said he can't control [the errors], that's part of the game," said bullpen coach Juan Lopez, translating for Cueto. "He was trying to throw strikes, keep the ball in play. When somebody makes an error, he said he can't do nothing about it."

Down, 4-0, Cincinnati got on the board in the fourth, when Chris Heisey ripped an RBI single to left. The Reds proceeded to rally in the fifth, scoring four runs and taking the lead. Edgar Renteria drove in Ramon Hernandez and Drew Stubbs with a double down the first-base line. Votto followed with a two-out homer, his first since July 8.

Mets starter Jon Niese was pulled after that, but New York's bullpen did its job from there, tossing four innings and allowing just one run -- a Fred Lewis pinch-hit RBI single. Niese earned the win, although he wished he could have finished stronger.

"I just lost command," he said. "I felt good early driving the ball down in the zone, and then that fifth inning, I just lost all command. All the pitches were up and it just got away."

Stubbs, who found out Gomes was getting traded as he was leaving the clubhouse to go warm up, said the roster move was not to blame for the team's lethargic defense.

"That had nothing to do with it," he said. "You're going to have games when you don't catch the ball, you don't hit, you just don't play to your best. I think that happened to me tonight. His departure had nothing to do with it. We're sad to see him go, but our performance had nothing to do with him leaving."

The loss drops Cincinnati to three games under .500 (50-53) and five games out of first place in the National League Central -- exactly where the Reds stood when they began this homestand on Friday.

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