CINCINNATI (AP) -- While thunderstorms pelted the ballpark in the

second inning, the Cincinnati Reds relaxed in their cozy clubhouse

and hoped the rain wouldn't end.

It ended, all right. And so did the best part of the New York Mets' night.

Jason LaRue's two-run double in the eighth inning sparked the

Reds to a 7-4 victory Wednesday night that featured a game-changing

delay, a broken winning streak and a little taste of Hollywood.

"I'm impressed to play the game that we did," LaRue said.

The Reds rallied from a 4-0 deficit after the delay, tying it on

Rich Aurilia's solo homer in the fifth. Scott Hatteberg started the

winning rally with his third hit of the game, a leadoff single in

the eighth off Duaner Sanchez (5-1).

LaRue's after-midnight double into the left-field corner broke

the tie with two outs, and Javier Valentin followed with a

pinch-hit, run-scoring single.

The Mets stockpiled four runs off Aaron Harang before the

2-hour, 23-minute delay in the bottom of the second inning changed

everything. New York wasn't the same afterward, managing only two

hits off a bullpen solidified by trades in the last two weeks.

"The rain delay killed our whole momentum," Mets manager

Willie Randolph said. "It took us out of our rhythm."

Todd Coffey (5-4) pitched out of a threat in the eighth, and

Eddie Guardado got the final three outs to improve to 4-for-4 in

save chances since the Reds got him in a trade with Seattle.

The thunderstorms crimped Steve Trachsel's streak of seven

victories in as many starts. The right-hander couldn't throw

strikes after the delay, which provided fans an unexpected chance

to snap photos of actor Tom Hanks, director Ron Howard and comedian

Dennis Miller.

Trachsel walked three of the first six batters he faced when

play resumed on a soggy field with a mud-caked warning track. He

gave up four hits and a walk in the fourth inning, when Edwin

Encarnacion's pinch-hit, two-run single cut it to 4-3.

Trachsel played catch a few times in the batting cages during

the delay, and decided he felt good enough to give it a try.

"The hardest part was staying focused," he said. "There was

two hours between the start of the inning and the next batter."

The managers walked around the field with crew chief Jerry

Crawford while the grounds crew got it ready after the delay. Given

the 4-0 deficit, Reds manager Jerry Narron wished they weren't

playing anymore.

"When you lose your starter in the second inning, you're not

too crazy about it," Narron said.

Once the Reds saw that the rain delay had knocked Trachsel out

of his rhythm, they sensed it might not turn out so bad after all.

"It surprised all of us, too," said Aurilia, whose solo homer

off Darren Oliver tied it at four. "Trachsel threw pretty well to the

first five hitters, then came back after the delay and didn't have

his command. We took advantage of it."

Unlike Trachsel, Harang didn't return when the rain finally let

up. The right-hander had already thrown 51 pitches, giving up

two-run singles to David Wright and Jose Reyes.

"I really didn't want him to go back out there after a two-hour

delay," Narron said. "If it's September, then probably, but not

in July."

The delay provided fans with some of their best moments on a

long night. They got to snap pictures and chat with Hanks, Howard

and Miller, who are making an unannounced ballparks tour in honor

of Hanks' 50th birthday.

The trio sat in the second row next to the Reds' dugout. When a

boy sitting nearby got a foul ball, Hanks autographed it. He and

Howard were shown on the ballpark video board for a between-inning

"Kiss Cam" spot -- after Howard waved off a smooch, Hanks kissed

the cheek of a woman sitting in the next row.Game notes
Trachsel threw 21 pitches before the delay, 45 after it.

... The Mets swapped minor league infielders with Kansas City,

sending Jeff Keppinger to the Royals for Ruben Gotay. ... Reyes

went headfirst into bases twice, showing he won't change his style

on the bases. He needed seven stitches for a cut on his hand July

7, when he dived into first base. ... RF Ryan Freel was back in the

Reds' starting lineup for the first time since July 9. He has been

hampered by a sore shoulder. Freel singled in his first at-bat and

was picked off first base by Trachsel. ... Aurilia's homer extended

his hitting streak to 12 games, one shy of his career high.