The Mets fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-7, on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some key takeaways…
– David Peterson came into Sunday’s outing having yet to allow a run over 8.0 innings this spring, but he wasn’t very sharp in this one. The lefty walked three hitters in the first two innings, and while he avoided allowing a run, he threw 40 pitches over those first two innings and dealt with plenty of traffic on the bases.
Peterson went 4.0 shutout innings, and while he still hasn’t allowed a run this spring and allowed just one hit on Sunday, he walked four batters and needed 66 pitches to get through four frames.
– The Mets put a fifth spot on the board in the first inning off Dakota Hudson. Utility man Danny Mendick got things started with a leadoff homer, and the wheels kept turning after that, with the Mets scoring on RBI hits from Mark Canha (single), Mark Vientos (single), and DJ Stewart (two-run triple).
– And here’s something you don’t see very often in spring training: Stewart ended up hitting for the cycle, capping it off with a seventh-inning two-run homer.
Stewart is a non-roster invitee to Mets camp, but he’s now hitting .435 during the exhibition slate.
– David Robertsonwhose role could be even more amplified with Edwin Diaz undergoing surgery, pitched the fifth inning for the Mets. It looked like he was going to have a quick 1-2-3 inning, but the windy conditions caused Canha to misplay a fly ball in center, keeping the inning alive before Nolan Gorman hit a two-run homer to right.
– Taylor Megill pitched out of the bullpen, but he clearly didn’t have his best stuff. While the defense behind him wasn’t great, Megill labored through 3.2 innings. He came out of the game in the eighth and then went back in for the ninth inning, pushing his pitch count to 78.
Looking like he was putting extra emphasis on his breaking pitches, Megill allowed six runs (three earned) while walking five and giving up six hits.
– Starling Marte continues to round into form, recording three hits on the afternoon.
– Francisco Alvarez got the start behind the plate. He caught seven innings but went 0-for-3 at the plate and is now hitting just .115 this spring.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets hit the road and take on the Washington Nationals on Monday at 6:05 pm