CINCINNATI -- Yoenis Cespedes and the New York Mets are partying like it's 2015.

"I said it back in New York, the way the team is playing lately reminds me of last year," said Cespedes, who starred both at the plate and in the field on Tuesday night.

Cespedes hit a go-ahead two-run homer in seventh, one of four home runs hit by the defending National League champions in a 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

"When you're a star, that's what you do," said manager Terry Collins. "He comes through when you need him, when it's crunch time. You can see his eyes in those situations."

Jose Reyes, Curtis Granderson, and Alejandro De Aza also went deep for New York (73-66).

Cespedes clobbered a 2-2 pitch from right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2-1) to the deepest part of the ballpark in center, putting the Mets ahead 4-3.

Cespedes, the Mets' left fielder, also made a key defensive play when he threw out Brandon Phillips trying for a double to end the bottom of the eighth.

"Every time we see at home plate, we believe he can do something special for the ballclub," said Mets third baseman Jose Reyes.

De Aza's home run off right-hander Blake Wood in the top of the ninth gave the Mets a 5-3 lead, providing a cushion for Jeurys Familia, who notched his major-league-leading 46th save.

Left-hander Josh Smoker (2-0) threw one scoreless inning for the win.

Adam Duvall hit his 30th home run of the season for Cincinnati (57-80), which has dropped 13 straight to the Mets dating to Sept. 7, 2014.

It is the second-longest, head-to-head winning streak in Mets franchise history, behind only the 15 straight games won against the Pirates in 1986-87.

A couple of the regulars who took Monday off due to the team's miserable travel day, got back on track early in Tuesday's game.

Granderson started the scoring for the Mets with his 24th home run, a solo shot in the second inning off Reds starter Brandon Finnegan to make the score 1-0.

"It was supposed to be outside, and I got it out there, but I left it up, and a guy like that is going to hit it," said Finnegan.

Reyes crushed a 1-0 pitch from Finnegan into the upper deck bleachers in left field leading off the third to make it 2-0.

"I got into a lot of deep counts, but I was able to get out of them," Finnegan said. "I was lucky to get out with just two runs tonight."

Finnegan needed 105 pitches to get through five innings, allowing two runs and three hits. He walked four with six strikeouts.

Duvall tied the score with an opposite-field, two-run shot into the right field seats in the third. It was the 30th homer this season for Duvall, making him the first Reds left fielder with 30 or more homers since Adam Dunn in 2008.

"It's been a special year for him," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "He's close to 90 RBIs (87). He's played a solid left field. It's been a breakout year for him."

Both teams had scoring chances in the fifth.

The Mets had runners on first and second, but first baseman Joey Votto lunged to his left to grab Wilmer Flores' hard liner to end the inning.

Pinch hitter Hernan Iribarren tripled for the second straight day leading off the bottom of the inning. The Reds cashed in on their opportunity when Iribarren scored on Votto's sacrifice fly to right, putting them ahead 3-2.

But, Cespedes handed the lead back to New York with his seventh-inning blast.

Mets starter Rafael Montero, who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to the game, was charged with three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four.

"He needs to stop walking people," Collins said. "That gets him into trouble. He's pitching to the edges, just missing."

NOTES: Mets RHP Rafael Montero was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Tuesday's game at Cincinnati. In other roster moves, New York recalled OF Brandon Nimmo, INF T.J. Rivera, INF Eric Campbell, LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Erik Goeddel from Triple-A, selected the contract of INF Gavin Cecchini from Las Vegas and transferred INF Neil Walker to the 60-day disabled list. ... Reds RHP Homer Bailey, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 28 due to tightness in his right biceps, is still playing catch. He isn't close to returning to the rotation. Cincinnati recalled INF/OF Tony Renda and RHP Josh Smith from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.