The St. Louis Cardinals handed the New York Mets a 6-0 loss at Clover Park on Wednesday in spring training play. Despite Carson Benge's 3-for-3 effort at the plate, the Mets could not overcome a sizable deficit. Jonah Tong worked 2.2 innings on the mound, allowing 3 earned runs on 3 hits. The Cardinals out-hit the Mets 10-8 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Mets continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Carson Benge was the standout at the plate, going 3-for-3. His consistent contact set the tone for the lineup. The Mets will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Vidal Bruján added to the attack, going 2-for-2, A.J. Ewing provided support, going 1-for-2 with a double, and Christian Arroyo also contributed, going 1-for-2. The Mets showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Nolan Gorman led the Cardinals offense with a 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI day. Chase Davis also contributed, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Zach Levenson added a 1-for-1 with an RBI effort as well. The Cardinals offense proved to be too much for the Mets pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Jonah Tong took the loss after running into trouble, working 2.2 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 3 hits with two strikeouts. He threw 50 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 6.1 innings of work, allowing 3 earned runs while striking out five. The Mets continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
Among the relievers, Matt Turner stood out with 1.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out two. It was an impressive showing that could factor into roster decisions.
How It Happened
Cardinals got on the board first with three runs in the third inning. Cardinals tacked on two runs in the sixth. Cardinals pushed across a run in the seventh. The Cardinals were able to score in three separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. Cardinals out-hit the Mets 10-8, with both teams playing clean defense. A crowd of 4,922 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Mets will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.
