Mets find happy Endy in 10th, beat Reds

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The National League's top team opened the second half with a motto: Don't look back.

So far, it's working. No one is even close to the New York Mets.

Endy Chavez's tiebreaking double in the 10th inning sent the Mets to a 4-2 victory Thursday over the Cincinnati Reds, leaving the NL's best-positioned team on an upswing.

Cliff Floyd and Carlos Delgado hit solo homers off an otherwise-tough Bronson Arroyo, helping the Mets take two of three in the series. New York has won six of its last eight overall, improving the league's best record to 57-38.

Since June 22, the Mets have enjoyed a double-digit lead in the NL East, providing a temptation to relax. There's no indication that they're going to do it.

"It's important to start any half this way," said closer Billy Wagner, who pitched a perfect 10th to get his 19th save in 23 chances. "It pays dividends for a team. You continue to have a good feeling.

"I also think that with the lead we have, that you want to keep going out there and pushing. Today was one of those wins where we really overcame a lot."

Cincinnati also has been on an upswing since the All-Star break, going 5-2 while rebuilding its bullpen through a pair of trades. One of the newcomers let this one get away.

Right-hander Gary Majewski (3-3), acquired in an eight-player deal with Washington a week earlier, gave up doubles to Xavier Nady and Chavez in the 10th, leaving him with a blown save and a loss in three appearances for the Reds.

"Majewski is going to be big for us," manager Jerry Narron said. "It seems like every time out, something happens. He could have easily been out of that inning."

Carlos Beltran completed the rally with a run-scoring double off Kent Mercker. Pedro Feliciano (4-2) pitched the ninth to get the win for New York, which leads the NL with a 30-20 road record.

The Reds were facing one of their toughest challenges Thursday: beat Tom Glavine.

The left-hander has dominated Cincinnati since the earliest days of his 19-year career. He's 26-12 overall, the most times any current pitcher has beaten the Reds, and has lost only six games in Cincinnati during his career.

Arroyo kept up with him, turning it into a starters' draw.

Glavine left with the bases loaded and the score tied at 2 in the seventh inning. Reliever Chad Bradford pitched out of the threat, leaving Glavine with his fourth no-decision in his last five starts.

Ryan Freel tied it with a two-run double in the fifth, the only inning that Glavine later lamented. Freel had three of Cincinnati's nine hits off the left-hander, who has been stuck on 11 wins since June 23.

"I felt good," Glavine said. "In my last couple of games, I just seem to have that one inning or two innings that become difficult, become the turning point in the game for me. It's not like the third time through the lineup I'm getting hammered. There's a ground ball, a bloop hit, and things get going."

The two-time Cy Young winner was chosen for his 10th All-Star team last week, but didn't play. He was overshadowed by Arroyo, who was picked for his first All-Star team and threw one inning in Pittsburgh.

That high-profile appearance has become a turning point for Arroyo, who was in a 1-4 slump before the break. He threw seven shutout innings last Saturday in the Reds' win over Colorado, and was on top of his game again against one of the NL's highest-scoring offenses.

Arroyo struck out eight and gave up only six hits in eight innings, including the solo homers by Floyd and Delgado. He didn't walk a batter, throwing a remarkable 80 strikes out of 111 pitches.

"I think it's kind of a feeling that we're never out of a game," Arroyo said. "Usually when you're down two runs and Glavine's pitching, you feel the game is over. But we haven't felt like that since the All-Star break."

Game notes
Delgado went 5-for-26 slump on the Mets' trip. ... Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the Reds' lineup, getting a day off after a night game that ended after midnight. Griffey has only one career homer off Glavine, hitting .273 career. ... Freel filled in for Griffey in center field and had the three hits off Glavine -- more than his previous career total. He had been 2-of-9 coming into the game. ... 3B Rich Aurilia extended his hitting streak to 13 games, matching his career high. He's done it four times, the last time in 2001.