Santiago Powers the Reds

Benito Santiago was thinking sacrifice fly and hit a grand slam.

“I was just trying to hit a fly ball to the outfield,” Santiago said. “I was trying for one and I got four.”

Santiago hit a go-ahead slam off Armando Benitez as the Cincinnati Reds rallied with a six-run eighth inning Wednesday to beat the New York Mets, 11-8.

The Mets, 1-5 in September, had a three-run lead when Chris Stynes and Ken Griffey Jr. hit consecutive one-out singles off Turk Wendell, who relieved Dennis Cook at the start of the eighth.

John Franco (5-4) came in and gave up RBI singles to Sean Casey and Dmitri Young, then walked Alex Ochoa, loading the bases.

“It’s a game we should have won that we let go,” Franco said. “If I would have made my pitches, maybe things would have turned out different. When I don’t hit my spots, good hitters are going to take advantage of it.”

Santiago homered to left on Benitez’s first pitch, his fifth homer of the season and seventh career slam--the first since Aug. 11, 1997, at Detroit.

“I got a good, solid swing on the ball,” said Santiago, who went two for five with five RBIs.

Cincinnati Manager Jack McKeon said he never considered using a left-handed pinch-hitter for Santiago after New York brought in the right-handed Benitez.

“If you look down our roster, we didn’t have much left, and I would rather stay with Benny,” McKeon said. “All good relievers have bad days. He made a mistake and got one up, and Benny took advantage.”

Benitez blew a save for the fifth time in 42 chances this year.

“When I gave him the ball I said, “Pick me up,’ ” Franco said. “The guy’s been automatic all year. But he’s a human being, and we all make mistakes.”