NEW YORK, July 12 - Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay hit back-to-back first-inning home runs to set the New York Mets on their way to a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.

Reyes, who had three hits in Tuesday's All-Star Game, led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer to right field and Gotay followed with another in the same area.

Never before in franchise history had the Mets begun play with consecutive homers.

Cincinnati bounced back to tie the score in the second on Scott Hatteberg's two-run single.

Gotay then drove in the winning run with a fifth-inning single. Lastings Milledge, who was recalled from the minor leagues, made a nifty move to score on the play.

As Cincinnati catcher David Ross reached out with his glove to tag the runner, a sliding Milledge put his left hand behind Ross and caught a piece of home plate for the winning run.

"They made a good throw (on the play)," Milledge told reporters.

"I knew it would be close so I just waited, took a long slide, and nicked my hand in. If I didn't wait, he would have got me."

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Cincinnati.

New York's Orlando Hernandez (5-4) got the win, retiring 12 consecutive batters at one point. He struck out seven and walked three while giving up three hits and two runs in six innings.

The Mets stung Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo (3-10) for eight hits and three runs in seven innings.

New York announced before the game it had dismissed hitting coach Rick Down and named former Major Leaguer Rickey Henderson to its staff.

The team did not reveal a coaching position for Henderson, who played with the Mets in 1999 and 2000 after spending most of his career with the Oakland Athletics. He retired in 2003 after 30 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The game was the only one on the National League schedule as teams began returning from the All-Star Game break.