The New York Mets’ first baseman crushed a pair of two-run home runs off the Reds starter Friday night in Citi Field, all the Mets needed to beat the Reds, 4-3.
For his career, Duda is 6 for 8 against Leake, but none of the previous four hits was as destructive as these two blasts.
The Reds (1-3) have played four one-run games and lost three. The Mets were 0-3 coming in after losing three straight to the Washington Nationals.
And it was a familiar scenario. The Reds had 18 baserunners on a cold, rainy night and stranded 10, striking out nine times.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a single by Jay Bruce after Roger Bernadina and Joey Votto drew walks.
Duda gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Leake gave up a leadoff double to Curtis Granderson and Duda dropped one over the 390 mark and into the Mets bullpen in right-center.
Leake kept the Mets at bay until Duda came to bat again in the sixth resulting in another long eruption to right-center after an infield single by David Wright.
Bruce drew the Reds to within one run in the seventh against left-handed relief pitcher John Lannan. With two outs and Brandon Phillips on first via a single, Bruce hit his second two-run home run in the last two games to cut the deficit to 4-3. It was Bruce’s 45th home run off left-handed pitching since 2010, the most by a left-handed batter against left-handed pitchers since 2010.
Manager Bryan Price made a brilliant move in the eighth, but it fizzled. Catcher Brayan Pena singled with one out. Price gave center fielder Billy Hamilton the night off, but when Pena singled, Hamilton was sent in to pinch run.
At the time he was 13-for-14 for his career in steal attempts and was 9-for-9 in spring training. On the second pitch, Hamilton broke for second. But he hesitated a mini-second before taking off and Mets catcher Anthony Reeker threw him out with room to spare.
And the Reds had another chance in the ninth against Mets temporary closer Jose Valverde. Roger Bernadina walked with one out and Phillips singled, putting runners on second and first with one out.
Votto swung at the first pitch and popped meekly to left field. Valverde fed Bruce four straight fastballs. Bruce fouled off the fourth one on a 1-and-2 count before Valverde fed him a diving change-up and Bruce went down swinging.
Phillips hit the ball hard five straight times and had two singles. His hardest hit ball, a drive to the left-field wall, was nearly a home run, but left fielder Eric Young Jr. went above the wall and snagged it.
With a one-run lead in the fourth, Bernadina walked with one out. A sacrifice bunt? No. Phillips was permitted to swing away and hit into a 1-2-3 double play.
The Reds put their leadoff runner on base in the fifth with Bernadina’s second walk, but Phillips hit into another double play. Votto singled, but Bruce struck out.
The back-breaker came in the sixth when the Reds put their first two runners on base on Ryan Ludwick’s single and an error on a double play ball by Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, putting runners on second and first with no outs.
Pena lined to center, Ramon Santiago hit into a fielder’s choice, putting runners on third and first. Leake was pitching adeptly, except against Duda, so Price permitted him to hit, and he struck out.
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