Cardinals 7 Mets 3 (Busch Stadium, St. Louis MO)
Mets record: 58-67
Mets streak: Lost 1
WP - Dakota Hudson (5-0)
LP - Carlos Carrasco (3-7)
Seat on the Korner: Paul Goldschmidt
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Held in check over the first three games, Paul Goldschmidt finally broke out with three hits and three RBI, including the home run in the fifth inning that gave the Cardinals the lead they never relinquished. Goldschmidt also made several good defensive plays at first. Have a seat, Paul!
Need to Know
The Mets got their first run in the third when they exected a rare hit-and-run. Third base coach Joey Cora kept Rafael Ortega going and he scored when the Cardinals had a bad relay, perhaps their only fielding lapse of the day.
Pete Alonso hit his 39th home run in the top of the fourth, his third dinger in the series and perhaps his hardest, with an exit velocity of 113.5 MPH
With a single in the eighth, Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to seven games. Coming into the game, Lindor had hit .423 over the previous six games and .308 over the past 52, with 41 runs, two triples, 10 home runs and 31 RBI.
The Mets were seeking their first four-game sweep of the Cardinals since 1986.
The Mets now travel to Atlanta for three against the Braves. David Peterson starts Monday, followed by Tylor Megill and Jose Quintana.
Turning Point
With the Mets trailing by only 3-2, manager Buck Showalter brought Trevor Gott in to pitch the seventh. And to use the cliche, Gott pitched briefly and ineffetively, giving up four runs in a third of an inning and putting the game out of reach.
Three Keys
Carlos Carrasco stuggled through the first four innings, getting in and out of trouble and running up a high pitch count. He made it to the first two batters in the fifth -- a double by Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt's home run -- before manager Buck Showalter, probably noticing how hard both balls were hit, gave him the hook. But Carrasco's failure to pitch more than four innings put a strain on the bullpen; Showalter ended up using six pitchers, including Adam Kolarek's Mets debut.
With the Mets seemingly on the brink of an eighth-inning, two-out rally, and with a run scoring on a Francisco Alvarez single that gor by left fielder Tyler O'Neill, third base coach Jory Cora sent Pete Alonso, rounding third and heading for home. Second baseman Tommy Edman crossed over to the left side of the diamond to execute a perfect relay, nailing Alonso at the plate and ending the inning.
The Mets continued the bullpen roster shuffle. Vinny Nittoli, who pitched two strong innings Saturday, was sent back to Syracuse today. Reed Garrett came back, but we don't advise him to send out his cleaning. And now that he has gotten into a game, is Adam Kolarek next? On the brighter side, the Mets go into the Braves series with Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley rested. Not that the Metropolitans needed a closer or a setup man the last time they faced the Braves.
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