NEW YORK — Jose Quintana earned his 100th career win with 6 2/3 strong innings as the surging New York Mets extended their longest winning streak in more than six years with a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

A struggling Harrison Bader hit a home run to make it a four-run sixth for the Mets, who have won nine games in a row for the first time since April 2018.

“I didn’t know it was nine in a row – that’s great,” Bader said. “I think that’s about where we’re at, so zoomed in and so focused. When it’s done, it’s on to the next one.”

New York, which began the day tied with rival Atlanta for the final NL wild card, has not trailed in its last 72 innings since Aug. 30 – the longest streak in the major leagues this season.

Bader was mired in a losing streak of 0 for 15 and 2 for 43 before hitting a home run in the sixth inning against Sam Moll (3-2). It was Bader’s 11th home run of the year and his first into the opposite field.

Bader stretched his arms out wide and pointed toward right field as he circled the bases.

“Obviously, it was a tough sample size for me personally,” Bader said. “I think it was certainly a second of relief, because at the end of the day, it just comes down to wanting to play that intensely for your team, you know what I mean? Especially what we’re trying to do here, which is play meaningful baseball in September.”

Pete Alonso hit a one-out RBI single and JD Martinez hit a two-run double with two outs. New York has outscored its opponents 44-16 during the winning streak.

Francisco Lindor’s career-best hitting streak of 16 games ended 0-3, but his sixth-inning walk extended his on-base streak to 35 games, the longest active run in the major leagues and the longest single-season streak in Mets history.

Quintana (8-9) allowed five hits and struck out six, becoming the 19th active pitcher to reach 100 wins.

“These days, when guys come out and throw as hard as they can and spin as fast as they can, that’s the type of pitcher,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He has to locate, he has to mix up pitches, he has to change speeds — old-school guy, if you want to call it that, and he continues to do it.”

Quintana, the first Colombian native to win 100 major league games, threw exactly 100 pitches and had a 0.50 ERA in his last three starts.

“I’m very emotional,” Quintana said. “This means a lot to me. I can’t wait to see my family and thank them for all the support they’ve given me.”

Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz completed the six-hitter for New York’s seventh shutout of the season – all since July 11.

Jakob Junis, making his second start for the Reds since being signed from Milwaukee on July 30, allowed one hit in five innings – a double by Jose Iglesias in the fifth inning. It was Junis’ longest major league appearance since he threw 5 1/3 innings in relief for San Francisco on Sept. 25, 2022.

Junis has a 3.24 ERA in 11 appearances for Cincinnati and a 2.82 ERA in 21 overall games.

“He can throw,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He did a lot with his slider today. He’s got a good sinker slider, but he mixes in a four-seam fastball to keep guys on their toes. He pitched really well for us.”

The start of the game was delayed by 66 minutes due to rain.

It takes two

The Mets’ new double-play combination of Iglesias and Lindor produced two impressive double plays. Iglesias, who will be the Mets’ second baseman with Jeff McNeil out, stopped Ty France with a diving throw, stealing a hit and starting a 4-6-3 double play in the second inning. Lindor started a 6-4-3 double play by running into the hole on Jonathan India’s grounder in the third inning.

TRAINING ROOM

Red wines: RHP Hunter Greene (right elbow) could return to the active roster after two live batting practices, the first of which is scheduled for Tuesday. … LHP Andrew Abbott (shoulder) continues to throw in hopes of returning to Cincinnati’s rotation before the end of the season.

Mets: McNeil (right wrist) will miss the rest of the regular season after an MRI revealed a small fracture. He was hit by a 74 mph curveball from Brandon Williamson on Friday night. McNeil is not expected to require surgery. He and Mendoza said it’s possible McNeil could return in October if the Mets make it deep into the playoffs. He will be placed on the injured list on Sunday. … RHP Kodai Senga (left calf strain) threw his second bullpen.

Next

The three-game series ends on Sunday when Mets RHP Luis Severino (10-6, 3.84 ERA) faces Reds RHP Julian Aguiar (1-0, 6.48).