ST. LOUIS (AP) Slugger Yoenis Cespedes turned out to be a nifty slider, too.
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright lost his glove trying to tag out Cespedes in a bizarre play, and the New York Mets broke away soon after that to beat St. Louis 10-6 Thursday night.
Alejandro De Aza homered and drove in five runs, helping Seth Lugo earn his first major league win. The Mets led 3-0 in the fifth when Wainwright (9-8) and Cespedes were involved in a strange sequence.
Cespedes tried to go from first to third on a bloop single by James Loney. When several Cardinals chased the ball, Wainwright covered third base. Cespedes slid and his cleat pinned Wainwright’s glove to the bag – he would’ve been out, but when Wainwright pulled away his hand, the mitt stayed stuck under Cespedes’ foot.
Because Wainwright didn’t control the ball, Cespedes was called safe in a ruling upheld by replay. Moments later, De Aza hit a three-run homer to make it 7-0.
“He said that when I pulled out the glove, I had to show possession,” Wainwright said. “I don’t know what else I could have done there. There was another runner on base. I’ve never seen it before, never heard of it before.”
De Aza’s fifth home run of the season came an inning after his two-run single. The five RBIs set a career high.
“Every time you hit a home run it’s fun,” De Aza said. “Especially when you can contribute to help the team win. It’s a great feeling.”
De Aza also made a jumping catch against the center field wall to rob Matt Carpenter of an extra-base hit in the first inning.
“He knows his role,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “He doesn’t have to like it, but he accepts it and he gets himself ready.”
“He didn’t stop working. He didn’t stop all the practice. All he needed was a chance to get to play with it and when he got it he’s made the most out of it,” he said.
Lugo (1-2) pitched five scoreless innings. The Mets took two of three to win their first series at Busch Stadium since 2008.
“This was a tough series,” Collins said. “They’ve got a good team and we came into this series knowing we had to pick up some ground and we picked up a game and that means a lot.”
Brandon Moss hit two home runs for the Cardinals and Jedd Gyorko and Stephen Piscotty also connected.
Lugo gave up two hits and struck out five to earn his first win since May 10 at Triple-A Las Vegas. On Tuesday night, Mets reliever Robert Gsellman also posted his first big league win.
Together, Lugo and Gsellman helped the Mets win a road series from the first time since July 22-24 in Miami.
Lugo left the game with right calf cramp while warming up before the sixth. By then, he’d also gotten his first hit in the majors.
“The biggest thing for me is keeping from getting behind in the counts and having to throw pitches over the middle of the plate,” Lugo said. “It helps me expand the zone.”
James Loney got three hits and scored twice for the Mets. Loney is hitting .529 (18 for 34) against Wainwright for his career.
Wainwright struggled for the third time in his last four starts, giving up seven runs – only two earned – and nine hits in five innings.
“It’s another game that we lose in which I start and the offense scores some runs,” Wainwright said. “I don’t know what else to say other than I’ve got to keep going.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: OF Jay Bruce (calf) was out of the lineup after leaving Wednesday night’s game with cramps. … LHP Jonathon Niese (left knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus tear.
Cardinals: Matt Adams (right shoulder inflammation) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis. He batted second and hit a two-run homer Thursday for the Redbirds.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Bartolo Colon (11-7, 3.36 ERA) will start off a 10-game homestand against Philadelphia. LHP Adam Morgan(1-7, 6.21 ERA) will start for the Phillies.
Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (0-1, 5.00 ERA) will make his third major league start, facing Oakland. The A’s will counter with Ross Detwiler (1-2, 5.91 ERA).
Picture credit – Jeff Roberson/AP (St. Louis, MO)
