Neil Walker salvages win as Mets top Reds 5-3

10:37 PM ET

NEW YORK — Daniel Murphy who?

Neil Walker delivered a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the seventh inning against JC Ramirez — the ex-Pirate’s eighth homer of the month — and the New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 Monday at Citi Field.

The Mets (11-7) moved four games over .500 for the first time this season.

Neil Walker’s eighth home run of the season broke a 3-3 tie in Monday’s seventh inning. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Walker’s long ball total is his most in a calendar month in his career. The eight homers are one shy of matching the franchise record for April. Dave Kingman (1976), Carlos Delgado (2006) and John Buck (2013) each had nine. Fellow second baseman Jeff Kent also had eight in 1994.

Michael Conforto went 3-for-3 with a double, homer, walk and scored three times in the victory.

Noah Syndergaard had another strong outing, but was deprived of the win when Antonio Bastardo allowed an inherited baserunner to score in the seventh — a half-inning before Walker restored the lead.

Third dimension: Conforto is now hitting .378 (14-for-37) with five doubles, three homers and eight RBIs in 10 games since moving to the No. 3 slot in the batting order.

His 424-foot solo homer against Raisel Iglesias –the longest of Conforto’s six career long balls at Citi Field — opened the scoring. Conforto then singled and scored on Lucas Duda’s two-run homer in the third as the Mets took a 3-1 lead.

All three of Conforto’s homers this season have come in the first inning. He is 6-for-7 and has reached base in eight of 10 …

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