The Mets completed a modified sweep in St. Louis against the Cardinals, winning 2 of the 3 games with the 3rd postponed due to rain. They stand at 18-18 as they travel back to Citi Field to take on the second place Atlanta Braves for a 3-game set.
Against the Cardinals, the Mets continued their string of close games, winning the first two prior to the rainout. The Mets last 12 games have been decided by 3 runs or less, and they are 5-7 in that stretch.
St. Louis Cardinals Series – Game Recaps
Game 1: Mets 4, Cardinals 3
On the mound, Sean Manaea and the bullpen did the job to hold on to the 3-0 lead that the Mets lineup staked them to. Manaea was motoring through the first 5 innings but ran into some trouble in the 6th, allowing a single and double to start the inning (which plated the first run for the Cardinals and cutting the Mets lead to 3-1). Following a walk to Paul Goldschmidt, Manaea got the first two outs of the frame. Ivan Herrera then doubled home two runs to tie the game at 3, but was thrown out attempting to get to 3rd to retire the side. Manaea then gave way to Jake Diekman and Adam Ottavino for the 7th and 8th. Sticking to the old adage of when you fall off a bike, it’s best to get right back on, Edwin Díaz was given the save opportunity after blowing a save in Tampa, and he shut the door with a strikeout and two groundouts in the 9th for his 5th save of the season.
Brandon Nimmo provided the heroics for the Mets lineup, with a solo HR in the 7th to break the 3-3 tie and provide the final score of the game. It was Nimmo’s 4th HR of the season, and he is 7 for 20 (.350 average) with 1 HR, 4 RBI’s and 4 runs scored over his past 5 games (through game 1 of the series). Nimmo getting hot from the leadoff spot will be a needed lift for the Mets lineup.
Pete Alonso, 1 for his last 28 entering the game, did not start, with the first base and cleanup spot going to DJ Stewart. Alonso did enter the game in the 6th and was 0 for 1, extending the slump to 1 for his last 29.
Other than Nimmo, the only players in the Mets lineup who had multiple hits were Joey Wendle with a 2 for 3 and Tomas Nido.
Continuing the lack of clutch hitting that has plagued the team most of the year, the Mets were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, with J.D. Martinez, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, and Brett Baty all contributing to that 0-5.
For the Cardinals, all their scoring happened in the bottom of the 6th as described above. Kyle Gibson got the start and went 6 innings, surrendering 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits. Andrew Kittredge took the loss by giving up the home run to Nimmo in the 7th.
Game 2: Mets 7, Cardinals 5
This game was all about the 5th inning, all about Brandon Nimmo (again) and the return of the Pete Alonso everyone is used to. The Mets plated 6 runs in the 5th frame as they sent 11 batters to the box. Nimmo also provided highlight-reel defense, taking a hit away from Nolan Gorman of St. Louis.
St. Louis jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The scored stayed there until the fateful 5th inning. Nimmo got the Mets on the board by crushing a HR to dead center field, and that tied the game at 3. Alonso delivered a 2-run double to put the Mets ahead to stay, with the score 5-3 at that point. J.D. Martinez drove Alonso home with an RBI single to cap the scoring in the 5th and make the score 6-3 Mets. Alec Burleson of the Cardinals homered off Cole Sulser in the bottom of the 6th to make it 6-4 Mets. The teams traded solo homers in the ninth (Alonso for the Mets and Lars Nootbar for the Cardinals) to provide the final tally of Mets 7, Cardinals 5.
The Mets have been waiting for Pete Alonso to get out of his slump, which reached 1 for 28 entering this game. Alonso went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI’s (an RBI double and solo HR). This could be the turning point everyone was waiting for.
The legend of Reed Garrett, Bullpen Extraordinaire, keeps growing. Through 13 games pitched in 2024, he has an ERA of 0.47, a record of 5-0, and 32 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Willson Contreras of the Cardinals. He suffered a fractured left arm after being hit by a Martinez swing. It was ruled catcher’s interference, but that’s irrelevant in the big picture. Here’s hoping one of the best catchers in the game is able to return soon.
Game 3: Postponed to August 5th
Mother Nature decided these teams had enough for one series. They’ll make it up on August 5th.
Krom’s Korner
Some players just have “it”. It is hard to describe but you know it when you see it. Brandon Nimmo is one of those players. With a hat tip to Disney/Pixar, his X handle is @YouFoundNimmo, and that was prophetic of his recent run. Nimmo seems like he’s fully back.
Nimmo is riding a six-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 6 of 7 games in May. His early average so far in the month is .320 with 2 HR’s and 7 RBI’s. His OPS is 1.132. This follows an April where he batted .226 with 3 HR’s and 18 RBI’s, good for an OPS of .777.
As the Mets leadoff hitter, it’s vital for Nimmo to get on base often, setting the table for hitters following him like Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and J.D. Martinez. In April his On Base Percentage (OBP) was .390 and it has accelerated to .452 in May. This is important, as though his average hasn’t caught up to what everyone expects of him, he is still drawing walks to get on base. He currently ranks in the Top 3 in the National League in walks on the season.
Speaking of bases on balls with Nimmo, you haven’t seen a hitter take a walk quite like Nimmo. There’s no walking involved, he practically sprints down to first base. While that has caused some to poke fun at him, it’s done nothing but endeared Nimmo to the Flushing Faithful. It’s emblematic of the way he approaches everything about the game of baseball.
When the Mets signed Harrison Bader in the offseason, they knew they were getting a Gold Glove Center Fielder. The obvious question was then how it would work with Nimmo, who was entrenched as the team’s mainstay in Center. The Mets approached Nimmo about moving to Left Field, and he accepted the move without hesitation, doing whatever the team needed. So far in 2024, he has yet to make an error in Left (or Center for that matter, where he has played in 6 games).
Between Nimmo’s importance as a solid outfielder, as a table setter at the top of the lineup, and his all-around hustle, he should be considered a candidate for Captain whenever the next Mets Captain is named. While there are other candidates (e.g. Francisco Lindor or Pete Alonso if/when he resigns), Nimmo should be part of that conversation.
Who’s Next: Atlanta Braves
Following Wednesday’s rain out and Thursday’s day off, up next for the well-rested Mets are the second place but always dangerous Atlanta Braves, at Citi Field. The Mets recently played the Braves in Atlanta and the Mets took 2 of 3, including a 16-4 victory in the rubber match of the series.
Charlie Morton is scheduled to pitch the first game of the series for the Braves. He started against the Mets in a game NY won 8-7, going 5.2 innings and giving up 4 runs on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts.
Game 2’s expected starter is Bryce Elder. He is 1-1 on the season with a 5.28 ERA. His last start, against the Dodgers, was a tough one. In 3.1 innings he surrendered 7 runs on 7 hits including 3 HR’s.
The Braves expected starter in the series finale is lefty Max Fried. He has not pitched against the Mets yet this season, but has a 2-1 record with a 4.23 ERA in 2024.
Following the 3 game weekend series at Citi Field, the Mets will split a 4-game home and away series with the NL-East leading Philadelphia Phillies.
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com
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