Cardinals stage first come-from-behind win, a late ruckus notwithstanding

The eighth inning of Wednesday’s 10-5 Cardinals win over the New York Mets at Busch Stadium perhaps overshadowed what happened before that. But it shouldn’t have.

“Didn’t love it—at all,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol of the ruckus caused when young New York Mets right-hander Yoan Lopez buzzed Cardinals star Nolan Arenado up and in as potential retaliation for the Cardinals’ Genesis Cabrera hitting the Mets’ J.D. Davis in the left foot with a pitch in the top of the inning.

By then, the Cardinals had rallied to put themselves in position for their first come-from-behind win of the season as they salvaged one game of the three games in the series.

“That was the definition of competition,” said Marmol. “That first game against them (the Mets got five in the ninth) was a kick in the gut. The second one—they straight-up beat us. To come out in a day game and compete the way was impressive. I enjoyed watching it.”

The game turned in the fourth when the Mets chose to implement some unusual defensive strategy. It would cost them five runs.

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Yadier Molina, whose average had shrunk to .152, started the inning by legging out a double on a hit to right that glanced off the short wall in front of the box seats. Carlos Carrasco then hit Edmundo Sosa with a pitch.

Mets manager Buck Showalter ordered his corner infielders to play in for a possible bunt by Edman even though the Cardinals have executed just one sacrifice bunt this season, by Edman, and with Molina, perhaps the slowest runner in the league, at second base, almost more needing a bazooka to get to third rather than a bunt.

“We had zero thought of bunting there,” said Marmol. “Eddie’s swinging the bat well. And with the runners that were on. . . we were definitely looking to swing it there.”

With first baseman Pete Alonso on the grass, Edman lined Carrasco’s first pitch for a run-scoring double to right when, if the first baseman was back at regular depth, the play could have been a double play or even a triple play. That hit tied the score at 4-4.

Edman said he wasn’t surprised that the Mets had played for the bunt. “I was glad,” he said, “because it opened up some holes and I was able to get that ball by Pete at first.

“That’s one of the advantages I have as a player,” he said. “They know I can bunt. They have to respect that.”

But he said, “No one bunts any more.”

Carrasco got the next two outs and the Mets properly walked Arenado intentionally to fill the bases. But Carrasco wild-pitched home the lead run and Corey Dickerson legged out an infield hit for his sixth hit of the season and sixth run batted in.

Carlson’s triple to right off reliever Sean Reid-Foley accounted for the final two runs of the inning. Later he would come out of the game with a jammed toe suffered when he was hitting but he should be all right to play Thursday night when Arizona comes to town.

After striking for just five extra-base hits in their previous six-plus games, the Cardinals exploded for three in the same inning and four for the game. They were eight for 18 with runners in scoring position.

Edman, who had three hits and a stolen base, said, “We needed that after a couple of rough offensive showings. We didn’t play well at all the first two games of the series.”

New York scored four runs off former Met Steve Matz in the second inning but Matz was allowed to stay in and he gave the Cardinals two scoreless innings before the bullpen and the Cardinals’ defense took over.

Left fielder Tyler O’Neill and center fielder Carlson both threw out overeager Mets runners in the sixth inning when the Mets momentarily forgot they were down by four runs.

First, O’Neill tossed out Mark Canha for his first assist of the season as the latter tried to stretch a single into a double. Then, to end the inning, after Luis Guillorme sent a drive over the head of Carlson in center, Carlson played the hop off the wall, spectacularly overthrew two cutoff men but the ball went directly to third baseman Sosa for the third out.

Matz needed 41 pitches of his 97 pitches to get through the second inning. Part of the reason for that was that the normally sure-handed Cardinals, including Matz himself, didn’t make a couple of plays in the field that wound up helping the Mets to a four-run inning.

After Alonso singled to right, Eduardo Escobar blooped a single to left that landed in front of two-time Gold Glover O’Neill as shortstop Paul DeJong and Sosa also gave chase.

Matz retired the next two hitters before Guillorme grounded a ball up the middle. Matz tried to make the play himself but could only slow it with his glove and shortstop Paul DeJong didn’t have enough time to retire Guillorme at first.

Tomas Nido, the ninth-place hitter, immediately shot a two-run double to left center. Brandon Nimmo drilled a two-run single to right.

In the third, the Mets put two runners on when Marmol came to the mound to talk to Matz. But Marmol didn’t bring Matz with him when he returned to the dugout. O’Neill made a diving catch on Davis and then ran down Guillorme’s fly to end the inning.

“I wanted to get a sense of if he had enough left in him,” said Marmol. “If you look at how we used our (bull)pen yesterday, it was important for him to get those extra outs for us. The way he verbalized and the look in his eyes, I was comfortable in giving it to him.”

Matz said, “If I could catch a ground ball, we’d have been out of the (second) inning. That’s going to haunt me for a little bit.

“I was happy he left me in. I was just happy we won and (the misplay) didn’t affect the outcome of the game. That was a ball I’ve got to catch.”

Arenado, who has 17 RBIs in 17 games, brought the Cardinals close with a two-run single in the third.

What happened in the eighth inning didn’t spoil Marmol’s enjoyment of the first seven innings or the ninth. “I love it even more,” said Marmol. “I love taking that game. I love (Ryan) Helsley coming in and just slamming the door.”

The Cardinals and Mets will play four games in New York in three weeks. Would something like Wednesday’s finish carry over?

“I didn’t love it,” said Marmol.

Photos: St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets brawl, Cards win 10-5 New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals

Stubby Clapp (82) of the St. Louis Cardinals takes down the New York Mets Pete Alonso during a bench clearing brawl in the eighth inning of a game between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com