Joey Votto hit two home runs and scored three times in powering the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-6 victory over the New York Mets on Monday.

Votto, who was left off the National League All-Star roster, homered in the first and sixth to tie Toronto's Jose Bautista for the major-league lead with 21. The Reds have hit nine home runs in their past two games.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel was ejected in the top of the fifth inning after an argument with home-plate umpire Jerry Meals in which Meals initially called Scott Rolen out on a foul-tip third strike but later ruled the pitch hit Rolen in the forearm, forcing in the first run in the Reds' six-run inning.

The Reds pounded Mets starter Mike Pelfrey (10-3) for seven runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked four and recorded only one strikeout.

Cincinnati's Drew Stubbs drove in two runs with a single in the fifth and Corky Miller followed one batter later with a two-run double. Reds starter Travis Wood drove in a run with a triple in the frame and had a chance to record his first major-league win but he couldn't get out of the fifth.

Jordan Smith (2-1) surrendered one run on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief for the win and Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save.

Angel Pagan hit his fifth home run, a solo shot in the fifth, for the Mets. Alex Cora added two hits and two RBIs and David Wright had two hits and scored twice in defeat.