NEW YORK -- Even in Game No. 161. with the end of the season almost here, the Reds found themselves grinding out a dogfight of a game in extra innings.
To get a 5-4, 13-inning win over the Mets, the Reds turned to their bag of tricks, with a suicide squeeze by Drew Stubbs scoring Juan Francisco with the go-ahead run.
With one out in the top of the 13th against reliever Dale Thayer, Francisco slugged a triple to the center-field wall with a slide into third that barely beat the tag. Next up was Drew Stubbs, who bunted toward third base as Francisco broke for home.
"I can't remember the last instance," Stubbs said. "It's something you work on every day in your situational rounds of batting practice. It's not something you use very often. In a big situation like that, it's very important to be able to execute.
"In that situation, when you squeeze, you just do everything you can to get the bunt down on the ground and fair."
The ending of the game was even more out of the ordinary than the squeeze play. Though Sam LeCure earned the win with a perfect 12th, closer Francisco Cordero held on by the skin of his teeth to get his 37th save. He escaped the bottom of the 13th having allowed no runs, but not before issuing four walks and being charged with a balk.
"It wasn't pretty. I can't explain what happened," Cordero said. "I tried to throw every pitch, and nothing was working."
Cordero walked leadoff batter Nick Evans, who was caught stealing second with Josh Thole at the plate. Thole walked, and with Josh Satin batting, Cordero was called for a balk that allowed pinch-runner Jason Bay to advance to second base. Satin also walked, then Jason Pridie's four-pitch pass loaded the bases.
But Cordero and the Reds escaped when Justin Turner lined out to second base, and Todd Frazier touched the bag to complete the game-ending double play.
"We were like, 'Oh no, please don't let us lose this one,'" manager Dusty Baker said. "It would have been a bad way at the end of the season like that. I'm glad that line drive went right to Frazier and we got out of it."
Though the Reds pulled off a win, starter Bronson Arroyo fell one tantalizing inning short of his coveted goal of 200. Needing nine frames, Arroyo allowed four runs on nine hits over eight, and his streak of 200-inning seasons ended at six.
"We always tell our guys, you don't want to end up on nines," Baker said of Arroyo's 199 innings pitched.
Throwing 125 pitches on the night, Arroyo walked one, struck out six and gave up two home runs -- both to Jose Reyes -- to extend his club record of homers allowed to 46. It tied him for third all-time, with Bert Blyleven and Robin Roberts, for homers allowed in a single season.
Baker seemed to give Arroyo every chance he could to finish the game. But in the top of the ninth, trailing by one run, the Reds rallied, and a pinch-hitter was needed. With one out against Manny Acosta, Devin Mesoraco lined a single to left field, and Edgar Renteria, batting for Arroyo, extended the game with a two-out single through the left side.
New York summoned Bobby Parnell for the last out, but Francisco foiled that hope with a lined RBI double to left field that scored pinch-runner Dave Sappelt with the tying run.
Arroyo finished the season 9-12 with a 5.07 ERA in 32 starts, with 45 walks and 108 strikeouts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is only the second pitcher in history to allow at least 40 homers and fewer than 50 walks in a season. Roberts, a Hall of Famer, did it in 1956 and '57.
The Reds survived a sensational three-hit game by Reyes, who slugged solo home runs to right field off Arroyo in the third and fifth innings. Reyes, who is vying for the National League batting title, also made a spectacular diving catch to rob Chris Heisey to end the eighth.
"Certainly another big night for him," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
As the game went into extras, the Reds -- who left the bases loaded in the 10th and 11th innings -- exhausted their bench and used pitchers Dontrelle Willis and Mike Leake as pinch-hitters. New York was nearly out of relievers by the time the 13th rolled around.
"You wouldn't know this was the next-to-the-last game," Baker said. "There was not a whole lot at stake, other than just pride in winning the ballgame. I commend our guys for the way we played tonight."
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
