(Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

Austin Hays hit two homers and finished with three RBIs Friday night for the visiting Cincinnati Reds, who beat the New York Mets 8-4 in the opener of a three-game series.

Matt McLain and Tyler Stephenson each hit two-run homers for the Reds, who have won five of their last six games.

The Mets, who have dropped four of six, took an early 2-0 lead, as Juan Soto homered in the first inning and Jeff McNeil had an RBI single in the second. New York also scored two runs in the ninth. Brandon Nimmo scored from second when right fielder Connor Joe dropped Ronny Mauricio's two-out liner and Luis Torrens had an RBI single.

Mets starter Sean Manaea didn't allow a hit until Hays homered leading off the fourth. The Reds went ahead in the fifth off Alex Carrillo (0-1), who got two quick outs before plunking TJ Friedl and surrendering McLain's two-run homer.

Hays hit another leadoff homer in the sixth to put the Reds up 4-2. The multi-homer game was his second of the season -- he also had two round-trippers in a 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on April 26 -- and the eighth of his career.

Stephenson also went deep against Carrillo with one out in the sixth, then De La Cruz collected a run-scoring single in the seventh and Hays drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.

McLain and Stephenson finished with two hits apiece while Friedl was plunked three times.

Nick Lodolo (7-6) allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over seven innings. The left-hander retired 17 of the final 19 batters he faced following McNeil's run-scoring single.

Manaea, making his first start and second appearance this season after battling a right oblique strain and a bone chip in his left elbow, gave up one hit and walked two while striking out six over four innings.

Nimmo and Torrens had two hits each.

--Field Level Media