Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso power Mets to 7-5 win over Cardinals
Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo powered the Mets to a 7-5 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis on Tuesday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-Coming off one of his best starts of the season, Jose Butto had trouble early in Tuesday's game. After Brendan Donovan led off the first with a solo homer, the Cardinals got traffic on the bases, punctuated by a Willson Contreras double that bounced off DJ Stewart's glove. Stewart was playing in left field while Nimmo and Starling Marte made up the rest of the Mets outfield.
A Nolan Arenado sac fly and Alec Burleson two-out single put the cap on a three-run first inning for the Cardinals.
Butto settled down but lasted just five innings (89 pitches/47 strikes), giving up three runs on five hits, three walks and striking out three.
-The Mets were left in check offensively until the fifth inning. Jeff McNeil hit a golf shot over third base to lead off the inning before Tomas Nido hit a sharp groundball to Arenado, who usually makes the play, but couldn't come up with it. Nimmo uncorked a 440-foot homer to straight center to tie the game at 3-3.
Nimmo finished 1-for-4 but is 8-for-24 (.333) with two home runs and seven RBI in his last seven games.
-A day after Alonso got the day off, the struggling first baseman had the biggest hits of the game. The first was when he went the other way for a two-run double that gave the Mets a 5-3 lead.
Alonso would give the Mets some much-needed insurance with a solo shot in the ninth inning, his first home run since April 27, also against the Cardinals. Alonso finished 2-for-5 with a strikeout.
J.D. Martinez came into Tuesday's game with just nine hits in 11 games with the Mets, but picked up an RBI single to give the Mets their sixth run of the game. It's just Martinez's second RBI of the season. Martinez finished 2-for-4.
-With another Mets starter unable to go more than five innings, the bullpen had to get the final 12 outs. Cole Sulser was first and gave up a solo shot to put the score at 6-4, but he pitched one inning. Sean Reid-Foley pitched into trouble in the seventh but Jorge Lopez got Arenado to fly out and Paul Goldschmidt to strike out to end the bases-loaded threat.
Reed Garrett pitched a clean eighth but Adam Ottavino -- with Edwin Diaz unavailable after pitching two straight games -- came in for the save in the ninth. Ottavino allowed a leadoff home run to Lars Nootbaar before allowing two base runners with one out. the veteran reliever would lock down the save when he struck out Goldschmidt and Burelson to end the game.
-Contreras, the Cardinals veteran catcher, left the game after Martinez hit his wrist/arm with a swing on a catcher's interference in the second inning. The Cardinals announced that Contreras suffered a left arm fracture.
The 31-year-old catcher was having a great offensive season for the Red Birds. He slashed .280/.398/.949 with six home runs and 12 RBI.
Game MVP: Pete Alonso
Before Tuesday's game, Alonso had just one hit in his past eight starts. So tonight was hopefully a good sign of a return to form for Alonso.
Highlights
What's next...
The Mets will go for the sweep of the three-game series with the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
The Mets will have Jose Quintana (1-3, 5.20 ERA) on the mound. He'll be opposed by Sonny Gray (4-1, 0.89 ERA).
