Cardinals at Mets
New York Mets rookie manager Mickey Callaway’s lineup decisions worked out well in the season opener, and he hopes for similar results when his team hosts the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game series. The Mets made Callaway a winner in his debut Thursday, beating St. Louis 9-4 as Yoenis Cespedes collected three RBIs batting second, Amed Rosario contributed two runs and two RBIs hitting ninth, and a healthy Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 Cardinals.
“It took all of spring training to try and figure that one out,” Callaway joked with reporters in referencing his opening-game lineup. “I don’t have that much time on the next one.” The Cardinals made news before the game by signing free-agent closer Greg Holland to a one-year deal, but the veteran is at least two weeks away from being ready and St. Louis’ pitching struggled in the opener. The Cardinals walked nine hitters and hit another batter, as starter Carlos Martinez surrendered five runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 erratic innings. “It was a battle today, for him and for us,” St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina told the media in referencing Martinez, who walked six hitters.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (2017: 12-9, 4.13 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jacob deGrom (2017: 15-10, 3.53)
With veteran Adam Wainwright on the disabled list, Wacha finds himself second in the St. Louis rotation and looking for a better performance than Martinez offered in the opener. The 26-year-old lowered his ERA by nearly a full run last season and finished third in the National League in homers allowed per nine innings (0.924). Wacha has dominated the Mets in seven career starts (4-1, 1.97 ERA), and in four outings in New York is 3-1 while holding opposing batters to a .165 batting average.
The 29-year-old deGrom suffered back stiffness in spring training, but has been cleared to begin the season as he looks to build on last year’s successful campaign. With Syndergaard injured for most of 2017 it was deGrom who rose to the top of the Mets rotation, finishing second in the NL with 239 strikeouts and fifth in innings pitched at 201 1/3. DeGrom is 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA in five career starts against St. Louis, allowing seven homers in 30 2/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 1B Jose Martinez, who hit .309 in his first full season in 2017, homered and finished with three hits in Thursday’s opener.
2. New York OF Brandon Nimmo, who hit .306 in spring training, went 2-for-3 and reached base four times in the opener.
3. Cespedes batted second Thursday for just the 39th time in his 788-game major-league career.