The NY Mets dropped a 2-1 decision to the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, falling to 3-3 on the young season. Juan Soto gave them the only lead they would hold all day. The offense gave them nothing else.
Freddy Peralta was the best Mets pitcher on the field. He struck out 7 across 5.1 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. The Cardinals made him work in the 5th — runners at first and second with two outs — but Peralta stranded both. That’s the kind of start that deserves a win. He didn’t get one.
The lone run came in the 6th. Francisco Lindor reached on a Nolan Gorman error, then got picked off first base. Two outs. Nobody on. Soto stepped in and hit a solo shot to right field — his first homer of 2026 — and just like that the Mets had a 1-0 lead.
Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
They never scored again.
Huascar Brazobán entered in the 6th with two on and one out and couldn’t get out of it. Nolan Gorman singled sharply to center to score JJ Wetherholt and tie the game. That was the only damage, but the lead was gone. Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams each threw a scoreless inning after that. The bullpen did its job. The problem was everything happening on the other side of the ball.
The Mets went 38 at-bats in this game. They produced 5 hits and 4 walks. In the 9th, Jorge Polanco doubled to open the inning. Jared Young ran for him. Luis Robert Jr. struck out. Brett Baty grounded out. Young advanced to third. Marcus Semien struck out swinging to end the inning. The tying run was 90 feet away.
The 11th was more of the same. Soto started at second base under extra-innings rules. Bo Bichette grounded out to move him to third. Young walked. Luis Robert Jr. walked to load the bases. Then Baty grounded into a force play at the plate. Semien flied out. Three runners, zero runs, inning over.
Tobias Myers took the loss after Masyn Winn’s walk-off single in the bottom half. Myers was fine — the game was already costing the Mets before he threw a pitch in the 11th.
The Mets stranded runners on third base twice in the final three innings and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position on the day. Francisco Alvarez went 0-for-3. Tyrone Taylor and Carson Benge combined for 0-for-4 in the outfield corner spots. This isn’t a pitching problem. The Mets are now hitting .192 as a team through 6 games, and the lineup’s middle-of-the-order depth behind Soto is going to keep getting tested until someone else starts driving the ball.