St. Louis – Blade Tidwell made his major league debut on Sunday, and, well, it didn’t go as smoothly as he might have hoped.
The young right-hander showed some promise, reaching 97 mph, but the Cardinals didn’t hold back. Tidwell had to exit after just four innings, allowing six runners to contribute to a 6-5 loss for the Mets in the first game of a split doubleheader at Busch Stadium.
This marked the Mets’ third loss in four games, a disappointing stretch considering they were counting on solid starting pitching.
Compounding matters, Jesse Winker left the game due to what the team described as a minor right-side issue. He had been a key player, stepping in as the team’s primary DH this season.
At just 23, Tidwell had recently been promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, acting as a sixth starter. It seems he might be heading back down to make room for Dead Niel Nunes, who’s expected to be called up for the second game.
During his three-plus innings, Tidwell walked three, gave up six runs on nine hits, and struck out two, ultimately being pulled after throwing 82 pitches.
Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo got things rolling for the Mets with back-to-back doubles in the first inning, producing the game’s initial run.
However, Wilson Contreras leveled the score at 1-1 with a homer in the second. The Cardinals kept applying pressure with two runners on, but Tidwell managed to escape the inning by striking out Lars Nothall.
In the third, Winker’s sacrifice fly put the Mets ahead 2-1 after Juan Soto’s single and Alonso’s second double. Alonso nearly advanced to third but was unable to capitalize on a passed ball.
Unfortunately for Tidwell, he couldn’t catch a break, giving up three consecutive singles to load the bases in the third. Nolan Gorman’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 2-2.
The fourth inning proved disastrous for Tidwell. After a walk to Alec Burleson loaded the bases again, Donovan hit an RBI single, followed by a walk to Nolan Arenado. Contreras added a two-run single that put the Mets in a deep 6-2 hole, leading to Tidwell’s exit.
Though Jeff McNeil managed to bring in a run later, and Francisco Lindor’s two-run single pulled the Mets closer at 6-5, they couldn’t capitalize further. They loaded the bases again but ultimately fell short, with Nimmo getting retired after Alonso’s eight-pitch at-bat against lefty JoJo Romero.
