St. Louis Cardinals Shut Out Mets

ST. LOUIS — Kodai Chiga made a strong comeback, but the Mets’ offense struggled mightily in their game on Tuesday.

In this matchup, dubbed Arch Madness, the Mets fell to the Cardinals with a score of 3-0, managing only three hits throughout the game. A decisive rubber match is set for Wednesday.

The Mets only managed to get four runners into scoring position, with Juan Soto’s sixth-inning double being their only extra-base hit. It’s… well, not exactly what you hope for.

Bo Bichette, who faced some booing at Citi Field just a few days ago, went 0-for-3, bringing his batting average down to .091 after five games. Not a great start.

However, there was a silver lining in Chiga’s performance. He’s a pivotal part of the Mets’ rotation, particularly after last season’s rough patch.

This time, he resembled the pitcher the Mets relied on for most of the first half of last season and in 2023 when he earned All-Star honors.

Chiga pitched six innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits, while walking three and striking out nine. He struck out during the last inning and finished after throwing 92 pitches.

This marked Chiga’s first start since the end of August last year. After that game, he accepted a demotion to the minors, wrapping up the season with Triple-A Syracuse.

The Mets saw glimpses of Chiga’s potential during spring training, which led to some anticipation for this start.

One highlight was his ball speed. His four-seam fastball peaked at 99 mph, averaging 97.4 mph—a notable increase from last season’s numbers.

Chiga recorded 16 swings and misses, with seven from his four-seam fastballs. He struck out three batters with his forkball, while the rest fell victim to his fastballs.

In the second inning, Chiga struck out, but by the third inning, the Cardinals had scored two runs with three strong hits.

Victor Scott II began the rally with a double, JJ Weatherholt contributed an RBI, and Ivan Herrera hit another double, putting the Cardinals ahead 2-0. Chiga managed to retire the next three batters, preventing Herrera from scoring.

During the fifth inning, Chiga walked Herrera but then retired eight batters in a row. After Alec Burleson walked, pitching coach Justin Willard visited the mound. Chiga ended the inning by striking out Macin Win.

Soto doubled in the sixth inning, and Bichette chose to walk. Yet, Jared Young hit a line drive to shortstop, and Bichette wasn’t quick returning to first base, halting any potential rally as reliever Gordon Grasefo retired Roberts before the last double ended the inning.

In the seventh inning, Marcus Semien walked former Mets reliever Ryne Stanek. After Carson Benge struck out, pinch hitter Francisco Alvarez was retired on a long fly to right-center field.

Richard Lovelady only needed two pitches in the seventh—Ramon Urias hit a leadoff home run, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0.

Lovelady, who had pitched in three of the last four games, suffered a loss in the 10th inning against the Pirates but returned to the mound, delivering eight scoreless innings this time.