Final Score: Cardinals 6, Mets 3 — Quiet bats, shaky bullpen conspire to ruin Ankiel's debut

It was another quiet game for the Mets' lineup, which managed just three runs on four hits against Lance Lynn and three Cardinals relievers. All three runs came in the second inning, after which the Mets tallied just one base hit.

Jeremy Hefner pitched six so-so innings and Scott Rice came on in relief to start the seventh inning with the score tied 3-3. Things did not go well for the 31-year-old rookie though, starting with a one-out double by Ty Wigginton on a line drive that fell out of the glove of a diving Rick Ankiel in center field. The next batter, Matt Carpenter, lined a pitch that struck Rice and went for an infield single, allowing Wigginton to score the decisive run. After Rice struck out Carlos Beltran, Scott Atchison entered and promptly served up a two-run home run to Matt Holliday. The 6-3 lead was plenty for the Cardinals bullpen and the Mets' losing streak is now four games.

The arrival of Ankiel wasn't enough to jumpstart the offense; Ankiel went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. The Mets benefited from a misplay in right field by Beltran, who turned a catchable Daniel Murphy line drive into a two-run double. Murphy then came around to score on a David Wright infield single.

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