A painful if productive night saw Cincinnati Reds center fielder and lead-off man tie an MLB record - but not the most pleasant one.

Austin Hays hit two of Cincinnati’s four home runs and Nick Lodolo threw seven strong innings as the Reds beat the New York Mets 8-4.

The Reds left-hander pitched seven strong innings with seven strikeouts and just one walk. He threw 97 pitches, 62 for strikes. This marks two straight starts Lodolo has gone at least six innings with two or fewer earned runs allowed.

Cincinnati Reds LHP Andrew Abbott pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, and Elly De La Cruz went 0-for-2 as the duo soaked in the MLB All-Star Game vibe.

The NL Central is one of two MLB divisions (also AL East) with four winning teams as the 2nd half opens. Are Cincinnati Reds on the rise?

Veteran pitcher Aaron Wilkerson signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals after recently opting out of his contract with the Cincinnati Reds. had a 4.17 ERA over 18 starts with Triple-A Louisville to go along with 78 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.06 in 95 innings.