Mets Vs. Cardinals: R.A. Dickey Earns League-Best 18th Win In Series Finale
Thanks to another stellar performance from knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and a three-run blast from Ike Davis, the New York Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2, in the series finale.
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Behind a three-run home run by Ike Davis and another stellar pitching performance from knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, the New York Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2, at Busch Stadium. The victory help Dickey (18-4) become the first pitcher in the Major Leagues to reach 18 wins, padding his resume as a Cy Young Award candidate.
Davis' 26th home run of the season came during the top of the fifth inning and pushed the Mets' one-run lead to 5-1. From there, Dickey continued his season-long brilliance finishing with 6 2/3-innings pitched allowing two runs on eight hits. The bullpen tossed 2 1/3-innings of scoreless ball to cement the victory which helped New York avoid a three-game sweep from St. Louis (74-63).
Davis finished 1-for-3 at the plate, while backup third baseman Justin Turner, who got the start over David Wright, went 2-for-4 with two runs.
Losing pitcher Adam Wainwright (13-12) lasted just five innings after allowing five runs on eight hits. The St. Louis bullpen allowed just one run in three innings of work.
R.A. Dickey is on the mound for the Amazins', attempting to secure his 18th win of the campaign. Dickey has been one of the few bright spots for the Mets all season, consistently being the ace New York has needed. In his last start, Dickey was brilliant against the Miami Marlins in pitching a complete game shutout.
If Dickey can pick up the victory, he would become the first Mets pitcher to become an 18-game winner since 1990.
Opposing Dickey for the Redbirds is Adam Wainwright. The 31-year-old has been very up-and-down this year with a 13-11 record and a 3.90 ERA. However, Wainwright was absolutely shelled in his most recent appearance, allowing six earned runs in just 2.2 innings against the Washington Nationals.
St. Louis needs the victory, leading the second wild-card spot by just 1.5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
TV: SNY
Time: 1:45 p.m. ET
For more on the Mets, please be sure to check out our blog Amazin' Avenue and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.
St. Louis Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia proved too much for the New York Mets on Tuesday night, as the lefty baffled Mets hitters for most of his 7.1 innings to help lead the Cardinals past the Mets, 5-1.
The Cardinals struck early for three runs in the second inning in St. Louis, as singles from Skip Schumaker and Daniel Descalso as well as a sacrifice fly from first baseman Matt Carpenter put the Cardinals up 3-0 early. The Cardinals added runs in both the sixth and seventh innings playing small ball against the Mets, scoring on a fielders' choice and as a result of a David Freese single.
The Mets collected nine hits of their own, but were only able to bring across one run against Cardinals pitching.
Mets starter Matt Harvey was able to contain the Cardinals for the most part, giving up three earned runs in five innings, but without any run support, Harvey suffers his fourth loss of the year. The Mets' bullpen did little to pick him up, giving up two runs over their four innings pitched.
After a weekend sweep of the Marlins, the Mets dropped their series opener against the Cardinals on Labor Day. They now look to even the series on Tuesday night with Matt Harvey on the mound. Harvey is making his eighth career start, with the 23-year-old righty posting a 2.76 ERA and a 3-3 record to date. He hasn't given up more than two runs in his last four starts, an impressive monthlong stretch for the rookie.
Jaime Garcia will oppose Harvey, looking for his first win since coming off the disabled list in August. Garcia was once a highly-touted lefty for the Cards, but he's had a disastrous season. While the NL Central seems out of reach, St. Louis is currently battling for a Wild Card sport. They're tied atop the Wild Card standings with Atlanta, with both the Dodgers and Pirates right on their heels.
First pitch is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium as the Mets try to play September spoiler. SNY will carry the broadcast, with WFAN providing radio.
