CINCINNATI — There are few moral victories in baseball, particularly this late in the season, but as rookie Brandon Sproat went toe-to-toe with a nearly unhittable Hunter Greene on Sunday afternoon, there was little doubt that the Mets could leave Great American Ball Park with more than just a stinging loss.

The Reds were able to stave off a ninth-inning rally and the Mets dropped the rubber game of the series, 3-2 , but Sproat became the third in their trio of pitching prospects who were thrown into the furnace and came out unsinged.

He allowed three runs and three hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in six innings, including 51/3 innings of no-hit ball.

“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I went out there and competed for the team,” said Sproat, who was working without his best

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