Lynn, Cards start second half right with 3-2 win over Mets

Peter Bourjos had to make room in the starting lineup for the return of All-Star left fielder Matt Holliday.

But it was his RBI double pinch-hitting for Holliday in the eighth inning that ended up being the game winner for the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis defeated the New York Mets, 3-2, to kick off the second half of the season.

With a two-run lead, Bourjos was inserted in the lineup, manager Mike Matheny said, as a defensive replacement for Holliday, who had been on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps.

Second baseman Kolten Wong had led off the inning with a hit for the second time in the game. Bourjos hit the ball to deep center field over the head of the Mets’ Juan Lagares to drive Wong home.

“Matt’s moving well, but to say he’s moving the best he’s ever moved in his life defensively would be a stretch,” Matheney said. “Peter came up big and it really wasn’t what he was even in there for. He was there for his defense but came up with the big hit.”

Trevor Rosenthal picked up the his 27th save of the season despite allowing three hits in the ninth, including an RBI single by Ruben Tejada.

The save preserved a gem by starter Lance Lynn, who gave up a home run to Curtis Granderson the led off the game. He settled in through seven full innings, allowing just the one run on three hits while striking out nine and walking one.

“(Granderson) got a 3-1 heater down the middle and he did what he was supposed to do with it,” Lynn said. “Once I started getting ahead and making pitches I was good to go.”

The Cardinals trailed 1-0 until the sixth inning. Wong dropped a single into shallow center field to lead off. He then stole second and went to third on an errant throw by catcher Kevin Plawecki. He scored on a ground out by Matt Carpenter to tie the game.

With two out later in the inning, shortstop Jhonny Peralta hit a 1-1 pitch into the Mets’ bullpen to give the Cardinals the lead.

Cardinals’ reliever Kevin Siegrist cruised through a perfect top of the eighth and Bourjos’ RBI double in the bottom half looked like enough for Rosenthal to nail down the save.

But Lucas Duda singled hard to right field and Plawecki followed with a pop fly which Wong tried to catch in shallow right field with his back to the plate. The ball glanced off his glove, Plawecki was credited with a hit, and the tying runs were on base with one out.

Rosenthal struck out Kirk Niewuwenhuis for the second out, but threw a fastball high and wide of catcher Yadier Molina to put both runners in scoring position.

Ruben Tejada rolled a change-up back up the middle, but Rosenthal was still in his follow-through and in no position to field it. The ball came to rest just past the mound and Duda scored.

John Mayberry Jr., pinch hitting in the No. 8 spot, struck out to end the game with the tying run and third and the go-ahead run on first.

The Mets’ loss spoiled another solid outing by their rookie starter Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard lasted seven full innings allowing two earned runs on five Cardinals hits. He struck out five and walked one.

“He’s legit,” said Mets’ manager Terry Collins, who was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes.

With the win, the Cardinals widened their National League Central Division lead to three-and-a-half games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were 4-1 losers in Milwaukee Friday.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Lynn, Cards start second half right with 3-2 win over Mets."