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Mark Vientos' first home run of the season started a four-run fourth inning that was all Griffin Canning needed as he twirled a quality six innings with eight strikeouts in the Mets' 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night at Citi Field.
New York improved to 12-7 on the year (6-1 at home). St. Louis fell to 9-10 (1-6 on the road).
- Canning, who had his start pushed back a day due to illness, issued a pair of walks, missing outside to right-handers with sliders, but stranded the runners in the first. In the third, Canning allowed a leadoff single (that reached third on a steal and wild pitch), but his fastball got Lars Nootbaar and Wilson Contreras swinging before a bullet of an infield single scored the Cardinals’ first run.
After a leadoff bunt single in the fourth, Canning went back to the well of the high fastball to get back-to-back swinging strikeouts before a 3-2 slider in the dirt ended the inning with his sixth strikeout.
Canning finished very strong, retiring the last nine batters he faced to close the door with a quality start of one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings on 102 pitches (65 strikes).
- Vientos ended his 62 at-bat home run drought with a leadoff shot off the foul pole in right. The third baseman took a fastball up and away and just kept it fair the other way, 339 feet down the line (100.1 mph off the bat). He finished the day 1-for-4.
- After the Vientos homer in the second, the Mets tacked on, starting with Starling Marte smacking a double to left to snap a 0-for-9 stretch. With two down, Brett Baty grabbed an RBI, serving a ball the other way for a softly hit single. Tyrone Taylor then lashed a first-pitch up the middle to give Francisco Lindor a chance with men on base.
Lindor, who singled his first time up, entered Thursday just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the year. With the runners off on a 3-2 pitch, he rocketed a single to right to score one run, but got caught in no man’s land when the relay through was cut off. However, the Cardinals' defense failed to execute the rundown and Taylor smartly was able to dash home to give the Mets a 4-0 lead before Lindor was tagged out.
After the funky second, Cardinals starter Andre Pallante retired 12 of the next 13 batters with Lindor cracking his third single of the night, lifting a low breaking pitch into center, in the fifth.
- In relief for the Mets, Reed Garrett was first up and the Cards made him earn the scoreless seventh inning as they fouled off 10 pitches. AJ Minter tossed a perfect eighth on nine pitches, the inning after Garrett needed 29 to retire the side with a walk.
Edwin Diaz walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth for the third straight outing. But the closer got Alec Burleson looking at a fastball, Jordan Walker to swing through a slider, and Nolan Gorman to weakly ground out to first to pick up his fourth save of the year.
- Juan Soto scorched a ball up the middle (106.7 mph) but right at shortstop Brandon Donovan for a 6-4-3 double play in the first. Soto chased a high slider and then chased one in the dirt on a half-swing to go down on strikes his second time up. He smashed a 1-2 slider on the outside corner (97.7 mph) that was deftly handled by Nolan Arenado at third
The two balls in play had a .530 and .500 expected batting average, but accounted for no hits and three outs. Baseball, huh? He finished 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Baty made a fine play in the first, moving quickly to his left on a sharply hit ball to get a force at second. And he cracked a double into the corner in right with two down in the seventh to give him back-to-back multi-hit games after not having any all season. He finished 2-for-3 and was lifted for Luisangel Acuña.
- Pete Alonso made a nice over-the-shoulder grab in foul territory to start the second inning. The slugger, who has been red-hot at the plate, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Brandon Nimmo went 0-for-3 with a pair of hard-hit groundouts to see his average dip to .194 on the year.
The right-hander threw 14 first-pitch strikes to 23 batters and kept the Cardinals off balance all game. And in the 19th game of the year, he was the first Met pitcher to break the century mark on pitches.
The Mets continue the series with the Cardinals on Friday at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Left-hander David Peterson (2.70 ERA, 1.380 WHIP in 16.2 innings) climbs the hill for New York. Righty Miles Mikolas (9.00 ERA, 1.615 WHIP in 13 innings) starts for St. Louis.
Continue reading...
New York improved to 12-7 on the year (6-1 at home). St. Louis fell to 9-10 (1-6 on the road).
Here are the takeaways...
- Canning, who had his start pushed back a day due to illness, issued a pair of walks, missing outside to right-handers with sliders, but stranded the runners in the first. In the third, Canning allowed a leadoff single (that reached third on a steal and wild pitch), but his fastball got Lars Nootbaar and Wilson Contreras swinging before a bullet of an infield single scored the Cardinals’ first run.
After a leadoff bunt single in the fourth, Canning went back to the well of the high fastball to get back-to-back swinging strikeouts before a 3-2 slider in the dirt ended the inning with his sixth strikeout.
Canning finished very strong, retiring the last nine batters he faced to close the door with a quality start of one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings on 102 pitches (65 strikes).
- Vientos ended his 62 at-bat home run drought with a leadoff shot off the foul pole in right. The third baseman took a fastball up and away and just kept it fair the other way, 339 feet down the line (100.1 mph off the bat). He finished the day 1-for-4.
- After the Vientos homer in the second, the Mets tacked on, starting with Starling Marte smacking a double to left to snap a 0-for-9 stretch. With two down, Brett Baty grabbed an RBI, serving a ball the other way for a softly hit single. Tyrone Taylor then lashed a first-pitch up the middle to give Francisco Lindor a chance with men on base.
Lindor, who singled his first time up, entered Thursday just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the year. With the runners off on a 3-2 pitch, he rocketed a single to right to score one run, but got caught in no man’s land when the relay through was cut off. However, the Cardinals' defense failed to execute the rundown and Taylor smartly was able to dash home to give the Mets a 4-0 lead before Lindor was tagged out.
After the funky second, Cardinals starter Andre Pallante retired 12 of the next 13 batters with Lindor cracking his third single of the night, lifting a low breaking pitch into center, in the fifth.
- In relief for the Mets, Reed Garrett was first up and the Cards made him earn the scoreless seventh inning as they fouled off 10 pitches. AJ Minter tossed a perfect eighth on nine pitches, the inning after Garrett needed 29 to retire the side with a walk.
Edwin Diaz walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth for the third straight outing. But the closer got Alec Burleson looking at a fastball, Jordan Walker to swing through a slider, and Nolan Gorman to weakly ground out to first to pick up his fourth save of the year.
- Juan Soto scorched a ball up the middle (106.7 mph) but right at shortstop Brandon Donovan for a 6-4-3 double play in the first. Soto chased a high slider and then chased one in the dirt on a half-swing to go down on strikes his second time up. He smashed a 1-2 slider on the outside corner (97.7 mph) that was deftly handled by Nolan Arenado at third
The two balls in play had a .530 and .500 expected batting average, but accounted for no hits and three outs. Baseball, huh? He finished 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Baty made a fine play in the first, moving quickly to his left on a sharply hit ball to get a force at second. And he cracked a double into the corner in right with two down in the seventh to give him back-to-back multi-hit games after not having any all season. He finished 2-for-3 and was lifted for Luisangel Acuña.
- Pete Alonso made a nice over-the-shoulder grab in foul territory to start the second inning. The slugger, who has been red-hot at the plate, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Brandon Nimmo went 0-for-3 with a pair of hard-hit groundouts to see his average dip to .194 on the year.
Game MVP: Griffin Canning
The right-hander threw 14 first-pitch strikes to 23 batters and kept the Cardinals off balance all game. And in the 19th game of the year, he was the first Met pitcher to break the century mark on pitches.
Highlights
What's next
The Mets continue the series with the Cardinals on Friday at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Left-hander David Peterson (2.70 ERA, 1.380 WHIP in 16.2 innings) climbs the hill for New York. Righty Miles Mikolas (9.00 ERA, 1.615 WHIP in 13 innings) starts for St. Louis.
Continue reading...
