NEW YORK — It was a battle of arguably the biggest disappointments in the National League this season Friday at Citi Field, however, there were some signs of encouragement for the home team.
The Mets’ bats broke out in a much-needed way in their 6-1 series-opening win over the Cardinals and wasted no time to get the good vibes rolling. In the bottom of the first, Brett Baty ripped a two-RBI double down the right-field line as the Mets took a 2-0 lead — after Francisco Lindor grounded into a 2-1-3 double play with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Tommy Pham (2 for 4, two RBIs) added a third run in the first with his RBI single, as the early explosion would be all they needed.
Tylor Megill mustered together a strong performance Friday night. The right-hander tossed six innings allowing four hits and one run — on a Willson Contreras solo homer — while striking out seven. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance for the 27-year-old who surrendered seven runs in his last outing on June 9 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets (33-36) welcomed Daniel Vogelbach back to the lineup on Friday after not appearing in a game since their loss to the Braves on June 7. The slugger went 1 for 3 with a moonshot solo homer into the upper deck at Citi Field. It was his first homer since May 7 against the Colorado Rockies and his third of the season.
Dominic Leone and Josh Walker put the finishing touches on the victory after Megill’s strong outing as the Mets would secure the victory 6-1.
Kodai Senga will take the ball as the Mets try and secure the series victory against veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright. Senga owns a team-best 3.34 ERA after his seven-inning one-run performance against the Pirates on June 10.
The Cardinals fell to 27-43.