Chris Bassitt was worthy of a gold star for his effectiveness and yet another for longevity Monday night.
The Mets had utilized their bullpen plenty in playing five games over four days against the Braves, and extra rest for that group was a commodity, even a day after many of manager Buck Showalter’s top options remained idle.
Already at 95 pitches, Bassitt was entrusted the eighth and struck out potential tying run Aristides Aquino after allowing a two-out single to Jake Fraley. The right-hander Bassitt matched his longest outing of the season, against the Brewers on June 14. Bassitt allowed one run on eight hits with eight strikeouts and one walk, finishing with a season-high 114 pitches. It followed dominant performances from Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom over the previous two games.
Joey Votto’s RBI fielder’s choice in the fourth gave the Reds their only run against Bassitt after Pete Alonso dropped Eduardo Escobar’s throw on a grounder. In his Reds debut, former Mets first-round draft pick Justin Dunn — who grew up in Freeport — lasted 4 ²/₃ innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Dunn arrived to the Reds in a trade last spring from the Mariners and opened the season on the injured list with a shoulder strain.