Joey Lucchesi sharp, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo homer as Mets beat Cardinals
New York Mets starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
ST. LOUIS — Joey Lucchesi pitched well enough Friday night to help the Mets beat the Cardinals, 7-1.
But did he pitch well enough to stick around in the majors?
Lucchesi tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start back, holding St. Louis to four hits and two walks. He struck out five. Lifted at 84 pitches, Lucchesi was working on a limited pitch count because this was his first outing after spending the previous month on the minor-league injured list with left knee tendinitis.
Before the game, though, Lucchesi was not guaranteed to stay for more than the day. Manager Buck Showalter indicated the Mets probably would make a move to add an extra reliever prior to Saturday’s game. That would require subtracting a starter.
The Mets got to Zack Thompson for two runs in five innings. Brandon Nimmo led off the game with his 18th home run, setting a new career high. Jeff McNeil’s three-run long ball in the seventh highlighted a five-run rally that blew the game open.
An unusual moment in the bottom of the fifth: Masyn Winn, the Cardinals’ top prospect making his major-league debut, beat out a weak ground ball toward third base for his first hit. Pete Alonso, having received a throw at first base, tossed the ball into the stands, not into the Cardinals’ dugout for souvenir safekeeping.
Pitcher Miles Mikolas yelled from the dugout at Alonso, who seemed to apologize. Cardinals fans booed Alonso in the moment and each time he stepped to the plate for the rest of the game.
Notes: The Mets sent righthander Grant Hartwig down to Triple-A Syracuse to make roster room for Lucchesi. Hartwig had a 4.74 ERA in 19 appearances (24 2/3 innings). “It’s always good for a young pitcher to take a blow here and there,” Showalter said. “But he certainly has presented himself pretty well.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
