Javier Baez bailed out the Mets and gave them new life. Yet they let another win slip away.
Baez turned on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning, sending a laser over the wall in left field for a game-tying solo home run, getting Mets reliever Jeurys Familia off the hook after he allowed a two-run, go-ahead home run to St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tyler O’Neill in the top of the eighth inning.
The game went to extra innings, and after the Mets blew a chance to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Cardinals scored three times in the top of the 11th. The Mets got the tying run to second base in the bottom half of the inning, but the Cardinals held on for a 7-6 win on Tuesday at Citi Field in New York.
The Mets held the Cardinals scoreless in the top of the 10th inning, and they were set up to win with runners on the corners with one out in the bottom half. But Francisco Lindor hit a sharp ground ball to first, where Paul Goldschmidt fielded, then stepped on the bag for one out and threw home to catch Jonathan Villar in a rundown. He was tagged out at third to end the inning.
The Cardinals took the lead with an Edmundo Sosa RBI single in the top of the 11th, and Andrew Knizer pushed the lead to 7-4 with a two-run single.
Pete Alonso doubled home Lindor with one out in the bottom of the 11th. The Mets brought the winning run to the plate after Baez was intentionally walked before Jeff McNeil grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out. With runners on the corners, Kevin Pillar hit a weak chopped on the third-base side of the mound, and a wide throw allowed him to reach while scoring Alonso to make it 7-6.
But pinch hitter Albert Almora Jr. grounded out to end the game.
The loss erased the Mets’ chance to gain ground on multiple teams in the NL playoff race. The Atlanta Braves and Phillies both lost, but the Mets remained 5.5 games back of the Braves for first place in the NL East.
Baez’s home run bailed out Familia after he coughed up a 3-2 lead on O’Neill’s home run in the eighth inning. The Mets didn’t trail prior to that swing.
That blown lead did waste another strong outing from Mets starter Marcus Stroman. The righty pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out eight and walking one.
After Stroman gave up two runs in the fourth inning the erase the Mets’ early 2-0 lead, the offense got one run back for him in the fifth, putting him in line to earn a win.
The Mets loaded the bases with three straight one-out walks in the fifth inning, and Michael Conforto came within feet of a grand slam, but it hooked just to the right of the foul pole in right field. Conforto did give the Mets a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly two pitches later, but Alonso struck out to end the inning.
The Mets pushed their first two runs across in the first inning, when Conforto scored Villar with a RBI single, and Baez added another RBI single with two outs, scoring Lindor.
Next up
Wednesday: LHP Jon Lester (5-6, 4.75) vs. RHP Tylor Megill (3-4, 4.06), 7:10 p.m.
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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com.
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