ST. LOUIS —Jose Quintana will never win a highest-velocity competition, but when it comes to the art of pitching, he has plenty of maneuvers that others can only hope to emulate.
Almost a month after he finally joined the Mets’ rotation following spring-training rib surgery, the veteran left-hander is maintaining a steady pace and alleviating any concerns about his status headed into 2024.
He dominated into the seventh inning Thursday night against the Cardinals before he weakened, but with help from the bullpen, the Mets held on for a 4-2 victory at Busch Stadium.
It was the fifth straight start in which Quintana, who got his first Mets win, pitched at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer.
He went six-plus innings and surrendered two earned runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts.
Quintana topped out at 91.5 mph with his four-seam fastball and threw his other three pitches (sinker, curveball, changeup) about as frequently.
Pete Alonso watches his two-run homer during the fourth inning of the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Cardinals. AP“He’s a guy that chases command instead of velocity and in a lot of ways is kind of a throwback,” manager Buck Showalter said.
Drew Smith, Grant Hartwig and Trevor Gott combined to record the final nine outs as the Mets (56-66) won for the fourth time in five games.
The Mets squeezed out just enough offense to beat Adam Wainwright (3-8) in his final career start against them; the 41-year-old plans to retire after the season.
Jose Quintana, who allowed just one run in six innings, picked up his first victory of the season. APPete Alonso’s two-run homer in the fourth inning, his 37th of the season, accounted for most of the damage.
Tim Locastro’s pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth against John King gave the Mets a cushion.
“[Wainwright] is one of my favorites,” said Quintana, who spent two months with the Cardinals last season. “It was a short time I spent with him last year, but it was quality time. I learned a lot from him and mostly how to be positive throughout the season.”
Quintana got knocked out in the seventh, after Tyler O’Neill’s leadoff homer and a walk to Jordan Walker and Andrew Knizner’s single put the tying runs on base and brought Smith in. Alec Burleson’s sacrifice fly pulled the Cardinals within 3-2, but Smith escaped with the lead intact.
The lefty Quintana retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a single to Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth. The Cardinals then loaded the bases on walks to Willson Contreras and O’Neill before Quintana escaped by getting Walker to ground out.
Alonso’s second homer in as many days gave the Mets a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Alonso, who thought he had drawn ball four on the previous pitch, followed Jeff McNeil’s double (which just missed clearing the right-field fence) with a blast to the grassy knoll in center field to extend his team lead in homers and RBIs (91). He is third in MLB in homers behind Matt Olson and Shohei Ohtani.
Francisco Lindor, who hit an RBI double in the fifth inning, fields a ball barehanded in the first inning of the Mets’ win. Getty ImagesThe Mets used a two-out rally in the fifth to extend their lead to 3-0. After Rafael Ortega and Brandon Nimmo walked, Francisco Lindor delivered an RBI double. Wainwright rebounded to retire McNeil before it could get messy.
O’Neill launched a homer to left field leading off the seventh that pulled the Cardinals within 3-1. The homer was the first allowed by Quintana in his six starts this season.
