Cardinals 1 – Mets 0
ST. LOUIS – Down swinging. And a grounder to first.
That’s how the Mets went down last night, with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, trailing the Cardinals by one.
David Wright was up first, and Cliff Floyd was next. But neither could tie it up.
Wright struck out swinging against Cards closer Jason Isringhausen and Floyd grounded out to first base as the Mets lost 1-0. Jose Reyes opened the ninth against Cards lefty Mark Mulder (8 1/3 scoreless innings) with a lined double into right-center, and Paul Lo Duca bunted him to third. Carlos Beltran walked, and Carlos Delgado came to the plate.
Even though he was 0-for-3 in his first three times up last night, Delgado was a career 6-for-20 off Mulder, compared to 2-for-14 off Isringhausen. But Mulder stayed in, and on an 0-2 pitch, he hit Delgado, loading the bases for Wright.
The third baseman, who had two hits already on the night, whiffed on a 2-2 91-mph fastball. Floyd then grounded out to Albert Pujols at first base.
The Mets went 0-for-9 with men on base and 0-for-5 in scoring position.
Ranking Steve Trachsel’s outings this year, last night’s would have been the best one.
But not a winning one.
Instead, Mulder came up with the win. The St. Louis southpaw held the Mets to four hits.
Trachsel went a season-high seven innings and gave up only one run on four hits, but the Mets got shut out for the second time this year. The first time came last Thursday in Philadelphia – with Trachsel on the mound. That game only lasted 4 ½ innings.
The nine-game road trip for the Mets – Philadelphia, Milwaukee, St. Louis – wraps up this afternoon at Busch Stadium, but ending on a high note could be tough. Closing out the series for the Mets will be Jose Lima, a pitcher who has given up 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings this season. Starting tomorrow, it’s the Subway Series.
Trachsel gave up a walk and a double in the sixth to yield the only run and finish his night.
Pujols hadn’t done anything in his first six at-bats of the series, going 0-for-4 on Tuesday and grounding out and lining out in his first two times up last night. In the sixth with one out, Pujols walked on five pitches.
Trachsel then got Jim Edmonds to fly out. But Scott Rolen slammed the ball into the gap in left-center for a double, scoring Pujols with no throw to the plate for a 1-0 lead.
Trachsel and Mulder swapped zeroes for the first 5 ½ innings. The Mets put a runner on in three of the first four, but nobody got past first base.
In the fifth, the Mets got Wright to third but left him there. The third baseman led off by ripping a line-drive double down the left-field line. Floyd’s groundout to second sent Wright to third, and Xavier Nady was hit by a Mulder pitch. With men on first and third, though, Kazuo Matsui popped out to short, and Trachsel flied to center to finish the inning.
