Phillip Ervin drove in three runs while Scooter Gennett collected three hits as the visiting Cincinnati Reds withstood a lengthy rain delay in the first inning and beat the New York Mets 6-1 Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Ervin and Gennett drove in the first two runs of a three-run first inning before the game was interrupted by a 100-minute rain delay.

Gennett's bloop single over a drawn-in infield with Jose Peraza on third put the Reds ahead 1-0 off Jason Vargas (2-8). After a ground-rule double by Eugenio Suarez, the game was halted as lightning flashed overhead and heavy rain started.

When play resumed, Ervin lifted a sacrifice fly off Paul Sewald, and Tucker Barnhart singled up the middle to make it 3-0.

Ervin put the Reds up 5-1 by hitting a 2-1 fastball from Bobby Wahl over the center field wall in the third. Ervin's second homer of the season gave the outfielder three RBIs for the third time in his career.

Gennett produced his 13th game with at least three hits. He singled and scored on Ervin's homer and also singled in the fifth.

Ervin and Gennett helped the Reds win on a night when Joey Votto sat out for the second time in three games due to soreness and swelling in his right knee. He was injured Saturday when he was plunked by Washington's Ryan Madson.

Cincinnati's Sal Romano (7-9) allowed one run on two hits in six-plus innings. He exited after issuing walks to Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo to start the seventh.

Jared Hughes finished up a scoreless seventh by retiring pinch hitter Austin Jackson.

Former Met Dilson Herrera added insurance with a pinch-hit homer in the ninth.

Vargas did not return after the first-inning delay and was charged with three runs on three hits while getting one out. It was the 53rd time in team history a starting pitcher got an out or fewer, and the first time since Jon Niese did so on Aug. 23, 2016, in St. Louis.

Jose Bautista snapped an 0-for-23 slump with an RBI single in the second inning as the Mets lost for the sixth time in eight games.

--Field Level Media