PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Brandon Moss and Randal Grichuk each homered and drove home four runs Saturday, leading the Cardinals to a 14-9 win over the Mets at Tradition Field.
The Cardinals went deep four times, with Moss' two-run shot in the third inning and Grichuk's three-run homer in the sixth leading the way. Carson Kelly and Jacob Wilson also added long balls for the Cardinals, who rapped out 14 hits -- six of them for extra bases -- over the game's first seven innings.
It was that sort of day at Tradition Field, where each of the game's first four pitchers allowed multiple runs. That included Mets starter Bartolo Colon, who gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings (including Moss' homer), and St. Louis' Tyler Lyons, who allowed four runs (two earned) in two innings.
"Unfortunately the way I pitched today, they gave me a little bit of a rough time," Colon said through an interpreter. "It wasn't great. The location -- I thought I was throwing it where I wanted to, but the batters … took advantage."
The Cardinals might have rolled to victory if not for their infield defense, with a troika of errors generating three unearned runs in the game's first three innings. Along the way, the Mets received RBI hits from Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores and Travis d'Arnaud, before their offense stagnated in the middle innings. Juan Lagares brought the Mets within four on his two-run single in the seventh, but the Mets were unable to complete their comeback attempt.
Up next for the Cardinals: Right-hander Michael Wacha will be on the mound for his second spring start when the Cardinals travel to Viera, Fla., to face the Nationals on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. CT. Wacha allowed a run but only two hits during his two-inning stint against the Twins in his first spring appearance Tuesday. Righty Max Scherzer is the scheduled starter for the Nationals.
Up next for the Mets:Matt Harvey will look to build on his successful Grapefruit League debut when he returns to the mound Sunday for a 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Marlins. Harvey, who sat in the mid- to upper-90s with his fastball in his first spring outing, will oppose Westchester, N.Y., native Tom Koehler at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.