The New York Mets snapped a two-game skid Thursday afternoon, using Juan Soto’s tie-breaking seventh-inning home run to secure a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. After dropping the first two games of the series, the Mets improved to 30-38 by overcoming an early deficit and receiving 4.1 scoreless innings from their bullpen.
Soto entered the afternoon in a prolonged slump but delivered the game’s biggest swing. With the score tied 4-4 and two outs in the seventh inning, the star outfielder hammered a hanging 1-2 breaking ball from JoJo Romero over the fence in right field to put New York ahead for good. Soto also doubled earlier in the game and finished with two hits.
Home runs dominated the early innings. Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a first-inning solo shot before Bo Bichette answered with a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning. Jared Young followed immediately with a solo blast of his own as the Mets briefly grabbed a 3-1 lead.
St. Louis responded in the second when Lars Nootbaar homered and Jimmy Crooks connected on a two-run shot to move the Cardinals back in front. Christian Scott settled down after the rocky start, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings while striking out six.
The Mets tied the game in the fifth when Soto doubled and later scored on Young’s RBI single. Young finished with two hits and two RBI, while the bullpen quartet of A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams combined for 4.1 hitless innings to close out the win.
The Mets open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Friday at Citi Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Nolan McLean is expected to start for New York, while Atlanta has not announced a starter.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].