ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Nimmo hit a three-run homer to spark a six-run fifth inning, and the New York Mets rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 on Tuesday night.
The Cardinals not only dropped their fourth straight game but also lost catcher Willson Contreras to a broken left forearm in the second inning after he was hit by J.D. Martinez’s swing. Contreras, a three-time All-Star, is hitting .280 with a team-leading six home runs and 12 RBIs.
José Buttó allowed three runs in five innings as the Mets won their second consecutive game. All three runs he permitted came in the first, but Buttó (1-2) retired nine of his last 10 batters. He yielded five hits, struck out three and walked three.
Cole Sulser gave up a solo homer to Alec Burleson in the sixth, Jorge López pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and Reed Garrett worked a scoreless eighth for New York. Adam Ottavino allowed a solo homer to Lars Nootbaar, but earned his first save of the season.
Nimmo’s three-run homer off Miles Mikolas, a 440-foot drive to straightaway center field, tied it 3-all in the fifth. Nimmo, who hit a go-ahead homer Monday, also made a diving catch in the outfield to rob Nolan Gorman of a hit in the fourth.
Nimmo’s dinger was the third of six straight hits to start the inning as the Mets sent 11 batters to the plate in the fifth. Pete Alonso ended slumps of 1 for 32 and 2 for 39 with a two-run double and scored on Martinez’s single to give New York a 6-3 lead.
Alonso added a solo homer off Chris Roycroft, who was making his major league debut, in the ninth.
Brendan Donovan drove Buttó’s fourth pitch 407 feet over the right-center wall. It was Donovan’s second career leadoff homer.
The Cardinals plated two more in the first inning on Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Burleson to take a 3-0 lead.
Mikolas (2-5) allowed six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: RHP Tylor Megill (right shoulder strain) pitched four scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking just one on 62 pitches during a rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse. … RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is expected to throw a bullpen Wednesday or Thursday.
Cardinals: INF/DH Matt Carpenter (right oblique strain) had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer, in his first rehab game at Triple-A Memphis.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will send out RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 0.89 ERA) against LHP Jose Quintana (1-3, 5.20 ERA) and the Mets in the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday. Gray’s ERA is the lowest by a Cardinals pitcher in his first five starts with the team since 1910. Quintana threw a season-high eight innings against St. Louis on April 28.