The Mets played some sloppy defense and mustered just two hits in Wednesday's 4-1 game one loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Here are a few key takeaways…
- After retiring the first two hitters he faced in order, Marcus Stroman allowed a solo shot to Paul Goldschmidt, a rocket that hit off the facing of the second deck in left field. After a scoreless second, Stroman got into some two-out trouble, allowing three straight singles with two away, the last one being an RBI knock from Nolan Arenado to make it a 2-0 game.
- Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Mets put their first two runners on base as Michael Conforto walked and Kevin Pillar singled. Jeff McNeil then put up a great at-bat, working an eight-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out.
After a lengthy delay to determine whether or not the Cardinals were allowed to make a mound visit after the team interpreter had gone out to Kwang Hyun Kim earlier in the inning, James McCann hit a slow-roller to third that Arenado fumbled a bit, though he was still able to step on the third base bag to get one out (as determined by another long review). The play brought home the Mets’ first run of the game, making it a 2-1 game. But Jonathan Villar and Albert Almora struck out to end the inning before any more damage could be done.
- But the Cardinals looked to answer right back. After Tyler O’Neill reached on an error by Pete Alonso, Harrison Bader poked a single to right, exactly where McNeil would have been playing if not for the shift, giving the Cardinals runners on the corners with no one out. Stroman then buckled down, striking out three straight hitters to end the inning undamaged. Stroman showed plenty of emotion coming off the mound, as he looked to be upset earlier in the inning when pitching coach Jeremy Hefner came out for a mound visit.
- Francisco Lindor’s struggles at the plate continued. In his first at-bat, he popped up out to first, which he followed up with a weak grounder to short his second time up. He then bounced back to the pitcher in his third at-bat, making him 0 for his last 24 at-bats.
Lindor also committed his second error of the season in the bottom of the fifth, throwing a routine ball away at first base that kept the inning alive. Next up, Paul DeJong launched a two-run homer to left, just out of Pillar's reach, making it a 4-1 Cardinals lead.
-Stroman ended up going 5.0 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out six. He allowed two home runs, but the defense behind him certainly didn't help matters.