On Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Mets with a 10-2 victory. And on Wednesday night, the Mets were looking to bounce back from that defeat.
But the Cardinals once again dominated, and this time, it was an even bigger victory.
The St. Louis Cardinals shutout the New York Mets 9-0 on Wednesday night, as the bats seem to get back on track after nearly a week of struggling at the plate.
Young right-hander Carlos Martinez took the mound for the Cardinals, while 41-year old Bartolo Colon (he turns 42 this Sunday) got the start for the Mets. Martinez entered the game 3-2 on the season, while Colon was 6-2 entering the season.
The scoring for the Cardinals started in the top of the first inning when shortstop Jhonny Peralta, with Kolten Wong and Matt Holliday already on base, hit a ground rule double, scoring Wong, as Holliday advanced to third. Yadier Molina then flew out to end the top of the first. Martinez allowed only one base-runner in the bottom of the first, which was a Lucas Duda single.
Both Colon and Martinez pitched shutouts in both the second and third innings, and as the top of the fourth inning began, the Cardinals were still leading the Mets 1-0. The fourth inning started with a lead off home run by right fielder Jason Heyward, which gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. After a throwing error by Eric Campbell put Randal Grichuk on base, Wong singled Grichuk home to give the Cardinals the 3-0 lead.
Holliday singled afterwards, scoring Wong, and Matt Carpenter wound up on second base. Up stepped Matt Adams, who as of late, has struggled at the plate. But during his fourth-inning at-bat, Adams sky-rocketed a three run home run to give the Cardinals a big 7-0 lead.
By this point in the game, Jack Leathersich was brought in to relieve Colon of his duties on the mound. Arguably, it was one of the worst starts Colon had on the mound all season long.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Martinez continued to keep the Mets in check, and the final line of his start: 6.1 IP, only four hits allowed, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. The final line for Colon on the evening: 4.1 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, as well as allowing two home runs.
In the top of the fifth inning, after a walk to Heyward, Grichuk doubled him on a sharp shot towards Michael Cuddyer, and the score was now 8-0 Cardinals. The final run that was scored by the Cardinals when Wong singled to center field, scoring Grichuk, giving them a 9-0 lead.
Once Martinez exited the game, Randy Choate and Miguel Socolovich pitched in relief, and continued to shut down the Mets as well on their way to a 9-0 victory. With the win, St. Louis guaranteed at least a split of the four games series, and their record improves to 27-13, while the Mets drop to 23-18 and are no longer in first place, as the Washington Nationals have now taken that spot.
Tomorrow, Jaime Garcia will get the start on the mound for the first time of 2015 for the Cardinals after a long stint in AAA Memphis due to injuries.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
