The Cardinals suffered a far bigger loss than their fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night.
Catcher Willson Contreras, the team’s best player so far this season, broke his left arm when he was hit by the swinging bat of the Mets’ J.D. Martinez in the second inning.
The Cardinals did not immediately speculate on how long Contreras will be out but it will be a minimum of several weeks. Manager Oli Marmol said after the game that Contreras potentially could undergo surgery as early as Wednesday.
Contreras was leading the team with six home runs. 11 doubles and with 20 runs scored while posting a .280 average.
The Mets overcame a 3-0 deficit with a six-run fifth inning off Miles Mikolas to get the 7-5 win at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals lost for the sixth time in their last seven games and saw their record fall to 15-21, a season-low six games under .500.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals hit three home runs in a game for the first time this season – from Brendan Donovan leading off the first inning, followed by solo shots from Alec Burleson in the sixth and another by Lars Nootbaar in the ninth … After Donovan’s homer the Cardinals added two more runs in the opening inning on an RBI double by Contreras and a sacrifice fly from Nolan Arenado … The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the seventh but couldn’t score when Arenado popped out and Paul Goldschmidt struck out … In the ninth they had two runners on base with one out when Goldschmidt and Burleson both struck out to end the game … Goldschmidt is now hitless in his last 23 at-bats.
On the mound: Mikolas allowed three hits through the first four scoreless innings, but then failed to retire a batter in the fifth. Two singles preceded a three-run homer by Brandon Nimmo and a double, single and another double knocked him out of the game. The Mets had eight hits in the inning … Chris Roycroft made his major-league debut in the ninth, striking out the first hitter he faced, Francisco Lindor, but then giving up a home run to Pete Alonso.
Key stat: Including Tuesday’s game, Contreras had 23 percent of the Cardinals’ total home runs this season, 20 percent of their doubles and 16 percent of their runs scored.
Worth noting: Pedro Pages, who had just gone back to Memphis on Sunday, was removed from the Triple A game as soon as Contreras was hurt and will rejoin the Cardinals on Wednesday ,,, Matt Carpenter homered in his first game at Memphis on Tuesday night as his rehab assignment was moved from Springfield to Memphis … The home run by Nimmo was estimated at 440 feet, the longest home run at Busch Stadium this season.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will turn to Sonny Gray to try to end the losing streak in the series finale on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
