Mets turn on power for Noah

Led by three-hit outings from Wilmer Flores and rookie Jeff McNeil, the Mets posted enough runs early to outlast the NL Central-worst Reds, 6-4, on Monday night. The sixrun outburst to back Noah Syndergaard marked the highest-scoring game in the Mets’ last 10, during which they’ve gone 3-7.

The Mets opened the scoring early with hits from each of their first three batters, punctuated by an RBI single from Flores, who was celebrating his 27th birthday. Five Mets hit safely in the first inning, when they scored three runs off Reds starter Homer Bailey.

Bailey (1-9) continued to struggle in the fourth, allowing a second-deck homer to Kevin Plawecki and another RBI single to Flores, who was greeted at the plate with “Happy Birthday” chants and finished the night 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Making his third straight start at second, McNeil went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored. He also successfully laid down a bunt to third in the eighth inning and showed solid range in an error-free performance.

In 12 games since he debuted on July 24, McNeil is hitting .364 with two homers and four RBI.

“I’m definitely getting a lot more confident up there,” McNeil said. “I’m still trying to stick to my approach, to get good pitches — which I have — and put good swings on them.”

Facing a small shift in the sixth, McNeil said he was trying to hit the ball to the opposite field, but instead turned on Keury Mella’s changeup and launched it into the second deck in right for his first home run at Citi Field.

Given an early lead, Noah Syndergaard (7-2) shut out the Reds for six innings before pitching into trouble in the seventh. The right-hander hit two batters and allowed a pair of singles before he was replaced by Bobby Wahl with one out in the inning.