Friday’s Game Report: Mets 9, Cardinals 3
By Rob Rains
It apparently doesn’t matter where the Cardinals play the Mets; the results have been pretty much the same.
After sweeping the Cardinals in a four-game series in New York in mid-April, the two teams met again on Friday night at Busch Stadium in the opener of a three-game series.
Different ballpark, same result.
The Mets pounded out 17 hits, knocking Sonny Gray out of the game in the fifth inning, en route to extending their winning streak over the Cardinals to a franchise-record nine consecutive games. This was their fourth consecutive win in St. Louis.
The Cardinals’ last win over the Mets came on April 27 of last season, in New York.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The game got off to a good start for the Cardinals when Lars Nootbaar led off the first inning with a double, stole third and scored on a single by Masyn Winn … Winn also singled and scored in the third after Victor Scott II stole his 11th base of the season and scored on a throwing error … That was the extent of the offense for the night for the Cardinals, however, as they were held to just three hits over the final six innings, including Winn’s third hit, a double in the eighth, but he was stranded at third base.
On the mound: Gray allowed nine hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings, throwing 98 pitches. Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer in the Mets’ four-run fifth as Gray lost for the first time this season … Two of the runs charged to Gray came after Chris Roycroft allowed two inherited runners to score … The Mets added another homer, from Brandon Nimmo, off John King in the seventh … Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth because he has not appeared in a game lately, and he gave up the final New York run.
Key stat: The 17 hits were the most by the Mets in a game in St. Louis since they also had 17 on Aug. 11, 1998.
Worth noting: The Cardinals announced before the game that Edgar Renteria won the fan balloting and will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in September. Renteria will be inducted with Al Hrabosky, selected by a veterans committee, and the late Walt Jocketty. The former General Manager of the Cardinals was an ownership selection … The Cardinals made two bullpen moves before the game, bringing back Roycroft and Roddery Munoz from Memphis and optioning Riley O’Brien and Matt Svanson to the Triple A club … Ivan Herrera was 2-of-3 in his second rehab game at Memphis … Top pitching prospect Quinn Mathews, who has been out with a shoulder issue, is expected to rejoin the Memphis rotation sometime neat the middle of May.
Up next: Erick Fedde will get the start on Saturday in the middle game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
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