ST. LOUIS — The Mets haven’t hit much since Opening Day, leaving little room for error from their pitchers.
On Wednesday it was Tobias Myers’ turn to feel the sting, upon surrendering a walk-off bloop single to Masyn Winn that sent the Mets to a 2-1 11th inning loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The Mets, who lost for the third time in four games, were a dreadful 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, getting their only run on a Juan Soto homer.
Myers, in his second inning of relief work, induced a double play grounder after intentionally walking Ivan Herrera to begin the 11th, with the automatic runner at second. Winn won it with his bloop to right that fell in front of a diving Carson Benge.
Freddy Peralta showed improvement from his Opening Day start by allowing one earned run on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over 5 ¹/₃ innings in a no-decision. The ace right-hander allowed four earned runs over five innings against the Pirates in his Mets debut last week.
Peralta retired 11 straight following Herrera’s single in the first inning. Nolan Gorman snapped the string by drawing a walk to begin the bottom of the fifth.
The Mets didn’t get their first base runner against Matthew Liberatore until Mark Vientos stroked a two-out double in the fifth. Marcus Semien followed with a walk before Francisco Alvarez struck out to end the inning.
Peralta escaped a jam in the fifth by retiring Victor Scott II for the final out after walking Gorman and allowing a single to Thomas Saggese, who had reached second on a wild pitch with one out. Gorman remained at third.
Soto’s first homer of the season produced the game’s initial run. Soto lofted a fly to right that landed just inside the foul pole. Francisco Lindor led off the sixth by reaching on Gorman’s fielding error, but was picked off first base. Soto homered three pitches later.
Gorman delivered a two-out RBI single in the sixth to tie it 1-1. The run was charged to Peralta, who departed with runners on first and second with one out. Huascar Brozobán retired Winn before surrendering the game-tying single to Gorman.
Luis Robert Jr. singled leading off the seventh and with two outs Alvarez reached on a catcher’s interference. But pinch-hitter Benge struck out against lefty JoJo Romero to leave the go-ahead run at second base.
Jorge Polanco doubled leading off the ninth, but the Mets never pushed across pinch-runner Jared Young as Robert, Brett Baty and Marcus Semien were retired in succession.
Wynn walked leading off the ninth against Devin Williams and stole second with one out. Williams retired Saggese and struck out Jordan Alker to send the game to extra innings.
Lindor walked in the 10th inning to put runners on first and second with two outs before Soto popped out on the first pitch.
The Mets loaded the bases in the 11th inning before Semien was retired.