Mark Vientos thought the Mets’ best starting pitching performance of the season meant something Sunday.
After starting on the bench, Vientos came on as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning and hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. The Mets won 4-2 at Citi Field, ending the Cardinals’ three-game losing streak.
The Mets tied the game until the final out on Harrison Bader’s RBI single, but Vientos, who arrived Saturday while Starling Marte was on the bereavement list, hit Matthew Liberatore over the right-center field fence to stop the game. .
Reed Garrett, the second reliever, was hit with a go-ahead single by Brendan Donovan in the top of the 11th inning, putting the Mets in crisis.
In the 10th inning, automatic runner Brandon Nimmo reached third base on Francisco Lindor’s fly, and after an intentional walk by Pete Alonso, DJ Stewart grounded into a double play.
The Mets started the inning in the eighth inning with consecutive walks by Lindor and Alonso, but Stewart, Tyrone Taylor, and Jeff McNeil were all retired in order, wasting their chances.
Jose Quintana had his best pitching as a Mets starting pitcher this season, holding the Cardinals to just one earned run on three hits, two strikeouts, and one walk in eight innings. The left-handed pitcher became the first Mets pitcher to pitch in the seventh inning as a starter this season.
The Mets needed that length and quality after Jose Butt and Adrian Houser got off to below-average starts in the first two games of this series.
The Mets got hits in the second, third, and fourth innings with highlight-reel catches by left fielder Donovan.
The second, Taylor’s 111 mph shot, was caught by a diving Donovan in left-center field.
The next inning, Donovan dove into the warning track and stole an extra-base hit from Thomas Nido.
In the fourth inning, Taylor hit a shot into the left-center gap and Donovan caught it for a run to close out the inning.
In the 5th inning, Michael Ciani’s squeeze bunt pushed Machine Win away and took the lead.
Wynn hit a double in the first inning and advanced on a ground out before Ciani’s bunt. Brett Batty mishandled a bunt, allowing Ciani to reach first base, but he was stuck at third base after stealing second base.
Quintana needed 26 pitches in the first inning, including a walk to Paul Goldschmidt.
After allowing a lead-off double to Lars Noteber in the second inning, the left-hander began a nine-batter hit streak.
In the fifth inning, Batty’s double and Bader’s single put the Mets on second and third base with one out, but Lin rebounded and struck out Nido, forcing him to retire.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, Lindor’s home run tied the game at 1-1.
The outburst was Lindor’s fourth in the past nine games and comes during a 1-of-10 skid in this series. Lindor pounced on Lance Lynn’s full-count sinker and sent it over the left-center field fence.
The Mets knocked out Lin with single walks by Alonso and Stewart, but the game remained tied as Taylor, McNeil, and Bader were all retired in quick succession by Ryan Fernandez.
