Four errors costly in Mets 4-3 loss to Palm Beach

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (July 23, 2024) – The Palm Beach Cardinals took advantage of four St. Lucie errors to beat the Mets 4-3 on Tuesday night at Clover Park.

Three of the Cardinals runs were unearned. The Cardinals jumped out to a three-run lead by scoring one run in each of the first three innings. The Mets fought back to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth. But the Cardinals scored the tie-breaking run in the sixth inning when Jose Cordoba stole third base and came home on a missed catch at the bag by Jacob Reimer.

Cardinals relievers Augusto Calderon and Henry Gomez did not give up a hit over the final three innings. Gomez pitched the ninth to earn his seventh save.

Palm Beach took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kade Kretzschmar hit a two-out RBI single off Mets starter Franklin Gomez.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning on an error, walk and bunt single. Gomez then walked Trey Paige to force in a run that made it 2-0. Gomez would buckle down and retire the next three Cardinals without allowing a run.

Anyelo Encarnacion reached base on an error with one out in the third inning and scored on a Cordoba double to make it 3-0.

Palm Beach starter Jason Savacool faced the minimum and did not give up a hit over his first three innings. The Mets got to him in the fourth when Reimer beat out an infield single and later scored on a base hit by Colin Houck to make it 3-1.

Willy Fanas and Vincent Perozo each singled to begin the fifth inning. A sac bunt by Diego Mosquera advanced both runners. Boston Baro brought home Fanas on a ground out to make it 3-2. Reimer hit a two-out single to plate Perozo and tie the game 3-3.

In the fateful top of the sixth inning, Cordoba reached on a leadoff walked issued by reliever Brayhans Barreto. Cordoba stole second with one out and was still at second with two outs. He attempted to steal third base and the throw by the catcher Perozo was on time and on target, but Reimer missed the catch. The ball trickled away and Cordoba scored on the error to put Palm Beach up for good, 4-3.

Barreto took the loss despite not giving up a hit over 2.1 innings in his team debut.

Savacool got the win. He held the Mets to three runs (two earned) on six hits over 6.0 innings.

Gomez pitched 3.2 innings for the Mets. He gave up three runs (one earned), scattered five hits, walked three and struck out one.

The Mets offense, which had 56 hits in the previous four games, was held to six singles. Reimer went 2 for 4.

Baro was 0 for 4 and had his nine-game hitting streak snapped.

The Mets (8-17, 30-61) and Cardinals (15-8, 52-37) play the second game of their series at Clover Park on Wednesday. It’s Camp Day with first pitch coming at 11:10 a.m.