Mets End Skid With 4-3 Win Over Cardinals

When the Mets (17-18) faced the Cardinals (15-20) just over a week ago at Citi Field, it was an ugly series loss for the Mets. The Mets lost the first two games but salvaged a win in the final matchup. This time around, the Mets grabbed the first game of the series 4-3 to record their first win on their road trip.

The Mets scored an unusual first inning run off of St. Louis starter Kyle Gibson (2-2, 3.68 ERA), who struck out the first two batters of the game. Gibson then allowed a two-out walk to Francisco Lindor before DJ Stewart, batting cleanup and playing first base for the first time in his career, drove in a run with a double to the left-center field gap. Stewart filled in for Pete Alonso, who was out of the lineup for the first time this season due to his recent struggles.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Following Stewart’s first inning RBI hit, the game remained 1-0 until the fifth inning, when the Mets struck again. Tomás Nido sent an 0-2 breaking ball into left field before Brandon Nimmo singled on a ball that escaped right fielder Lars Nootbaar, sending the runners to second and third. With the infield playing at normal depth, Starling Marte grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored a runner, and Francisco Lindor hit a sacrifice fly to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals couldn’t get anything going off of Mets starter Sean Manaea (2-1, 3.31 ERA), who started this game in a groove, until the sixth inning when Manaea allowed the first three batters to reach. Willson Contreras drove in the first Cardinals run of the game with a double before Iván Herrera drove in two more with a double of his own. Just like that, the game was tied.

Manaea’s night was over, too, and even though his last inning was problematic, he still finished with a quality start. The lefty allowed three runs, all of which came in his final inning. He only allowed one walk but also struck out just one. His ERA on the season jumped from 3.07 to 3.31.

After giving up the three-run lead, the Mets displayed some resilience in the top of the seventh, something we haven’t seen much of this year. Facing Andrew Kittredge, who entered the game with a 0.64 ERA and no home runs allowed, Brandon Nimmo sent a no-doubter into the seats in right field, putting the Mets back in front 4-3.

After the Cardinals tied it up in the 6th, Brandon Nimmo LAUNCHES one deep to regain the lead for the Mets! The Mets lead it 4-3! pic.twitter.com/fCSFVzmP0e

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The Mets bullpen had a rough series in Tampa Bay, and they would need to record the final nine outs of this game with just a one-run lead. Jake Diekman, who earned the L in the walk-off loss in Tampa Bay, recorded a scoreless seventh inning. Adam Ottavino, who also had a rough outing in Tampa Bay, was then called on for the eighth inning against the heart of the Cardinals lineup, and he fared much better this time, pitching a scoreless frame.

The Mets didn’t provide any insurance in the top of the ninth, so Edwin Díaz entered the ninth inning of a one-run game. Just one game after blowing a save with the Rays down to their final strike, Díaz relied more on his fastball and recorded a strikeout and two weak groundouts to give the Mets the 4-3 win.

Statistic of the Game: 126 Game Start Streak Snapped

Pete Alonso was out of the lineup for Monday’s game, snapping a streak of 126 straight starts going back to last June. Alonso has been one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball since he made his debut and is noted for being durable, always playing when able. His being out of the lineup is notable and speaks to the level at which he is struggling.

Alonso did enter the game when Joey Wendle was removed in the sixth inning. He wound up lining out to second base in his only at-bat.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo had a great game, going 2-for-5 with a single and the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. He also had two of the Mets’ four runs in the game. Nimmo has had great advanced metrics and has continued to get on base at an elite rate, but the results with the bat haven’t really been there for him this season. Hopefully, this can start an extended hot streak that sees him raise his batting average and slugging numbers even more.

On Deck

The Mets and Cardinals will continue their series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. José Buttó (0-2, 2.57 ERA) will be on the mound for New York, with Miles Mikolas (2-4, 5.68 ERA) on the mound for St. Louis.

For Buttó, it will be his second career start against the Cardinals, and he allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first start against them just over a week ago. Mikolas, on the other hand, will be making his seventh career start and eighth appearance against the Mets, and he has a career 4.46 ERA against the team in 38 1/3 innings. He had one of his best starts of the season on April 26 against the Mets, when he allowed just two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The game will air on SNY, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET.

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