Cardinals Defeat Mets 6-4 on Wednesday Night to Earn 40th Win of 2024

JUPITER, FL - The Palm Beach Cardinals (40-30, 3-1) win their third consecutive game with a 6-4 victory over the St. Lucie Mets (22-49, 0-5) on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Palm Beach improved to 7-1 against St. Lucie this season with the win.

The Mets were the first on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning off of Palm Beach starting pitcher Gerardo Salas (W, 4-4). With two outs and two runners on base, Colin Houck hit an RBI single to center field to give St. Lucie an early 1-0 lead. The Mets added another run in the top of the second inning when Willy Fanas hit an RBI double to make it a 2-0 Mets lead.

Palm Beach provided a response in the bottom of the second inning. Anyelo Encarnacion led off with a bunt single and Johnfrank Salazar would reach on a fielder's choice and throwing error from St. Lucie's A.J. Ewing which got the Cardinals on the scoreboard. Two batters later, Brayden Jobert hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field, which gave Palm Beach the lead at 3-2. For Jobert, It was the second straight game with a home run.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the next two innings. In the bottom of the third, Salazar drove in Chase Davis on an RBI single to make it a 4-2 Palm Beach lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Trey Paige led off with a walk. Travis Honeyman followed that with a single to right field which was bobbled by Yohairo Cuevas which allowed Paige to score. Miguel Villarroel then drove in Honeyman on an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 6-2 lead.

The Mets would make one final push for a comeback in the top of the fifth inning off of Salas. The Mets began the frame with four consecutive singles, including an RBI single from Fanas. Estarling Mercado would later reach on an error committed by Salazar which cut the Palm Beach lead to 6-4 but Salas stranded three runners to prevent further damage.

Salas finished his start with five innings pitched and allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on seven hits and struck out six Mets hitters. Augusto Calderon (H, 1) was the first Cardinal out of the bullpen and provided three shutout innings with six strikeouts and Henry Gomez (Sv, 3) shut the door with a scoreless top of the ninth inning to secure the Wednesday night victory for Palm Beach.

The Cardinals had 11 hits in the ballgame and it is the 24th game this season that Palm Beach has reached double-digits in that category. Villarroel and Honeyman would each have two hits and a steal, with Villarroel having an RBI and Honeyman having a run scored. Jose Cordoba also went 2-for-4 with a double in the ballgame.

The Cardinals and Mets are back in action for game three of the series on Thursday, June 27th with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Click here to purchase your tickets.

MEGABASH: Celebrate America’s birthday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for MegaBash on July 3rd and 4th when the Palm Beach Cardinals and Jupiter Hammerheads hit the diamond. Click here to purchase tickets for Wednesday, July 3rd. Click here to purchase tickets for the July 4th game. Don’t miss the biggest bash in Abacoa with fireworks going off after both games!

Silver Sluggers Program: Want to beat every early-bird special in Palm Beach County? Fans 55 and up can click here to become a member of the Silver Sluggers program which gets you a ticket to every Wednesday Florida State League game, a chance to win prizes in baseball bingo, an official Silver Sluggers T-shirt, a team store discount, and a free hot dog and soda at the ballpark.

Thirsty Thursday: All fans 21 and up can click here to become a part of Thirsty Thursdays at The Dean. For $75, fans get a reserved box seat to every Thursday Florida State League game and a special koozie which gets you access to $1, $2, and $3 drink specials.

Kids Club: Kids can click here take part in the best entertainment deal in Palm Beach County. For $30, members receive tickets to every Saturday Florida State League game, a free hot dog and soda at the game, an official Kids Club T-shirt, a team store discount, and a chance to run the bases after the game.

About Jupiter Stadium, LTD:

Opening in 1998, the 110-acre complex/stadium is specially designed to house two Major League and two Minor League Baseball Teams. The stadium is home to the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals for Spring Training. The Florida State League’s Jupiter Hammerheads (Class A Affiliate of the Miami Marlins) and Palm Beach Cardinals (Class A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals) make their home at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium from April through September. This year-round facility can accommodate the smallest birthday party to the largest corporate outing, while never forgetting that each and every fan is our most important product.