Mets Stifle Cardinals in Season-Opener

Apr 02, 02:15 AM

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St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Paul Lo Duca drove in three runs and Tom Glavine threw six strong innings, as the New York Mets used solid defense to beat the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, in the first game of the 2007 season.

The opener of the three-game series, a rematch of last year's National League Championship Series, which St. Louis won in a dramatic seventh game, proved to be a defensive clinic run by the Mets. They surged to a 5-0 lead by battering 2005 Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter, and then used spectacular defense, turning four double plays, to quell the Cardinals.

Carlos Delgado knocked in two runs and Carlos Beltran had the other RBI for the Mets, who topped the NL with 97 wins last season. Every Met that came to the plate got a hit.

St. Louis finished its great run by besting Detroit in five games in the World Series last October, but couldn't solve Glavine (1-0), who quieted the Busch Stadium crowd with controlled pitching. The left-hander scattered six hits, allowed one run, walked one and struck out two.

David Eckstein had three hits and the lone RBI for the Cardinals. Yadier Molina added two hits for St. Louis, but Albert Pujols, the runner-up in last year's NL MVP voting, went 0-for-2 and walked twice.

Carpenter (0-1) surrendered nine hits and five runs, walked one and struck out three through six frames.

Eckstein's double down the left scored Skip Schumaker in the sixth. Preston Wilson followed with a base hit to center, but Beltran threw a perfect strike to Lo Duca at the plate to nail Eckstein.

The Cardinals loaded the bases later in the inning after Scott Rolen was hit by a pitch from Glavine. However, the crafty lefty induced Molina into a broken-bat pop out to Jose Reyes at shortstop to end the inning.

The Mets turned another twin-killing to end the seventh, and then escaped another bases-loaded jam in the eighth. A pair of walks and a single by Eckstein loaded the bases. Aaron Heilman was then summoned from the bullpen to replace Joe Smith. Rolen hit a screaming grounder up the middle, but Jose Valentin dove to stop the ball, flipped it to Reyes to start the inning-ending double play.

Lo Duca singled in David Newhan in the ninth.

There was a one-hour ceremony before the game to honor the Cardinals for their first title since 1982, but the Mets weren't bothered by the festivities.

The Mets struck for two runs in the third and three more in the fourth. Glavine singled to lead off the third, and two outs later Beltran was hit by a pitch. Delgado followed by doubling off the wall in left field for a 2-0 contest.

The Mets loaded the bases in the fourth after singles by Shawn Green and Valentin, and a walk to Reyes. Lo Duca smacked a two-run single up the middle, and Beltran followed with another base hit to center field.

Game Notes

The series resumes Tuesday night...The last time these two clubs opened up the season facing each other was Tony La Russa's first year as skipper of the Cardinals on this same date in 1996...This was Carpenter's third straight Opening Day start...Glavine, who has 291 wins, is 19-6 lifetime against the Cardinals. This was Glavine's eighth career Opening Day start, including his fourth with the Mets. Only Tom Seaver (11 Opening Day starts) and Dwight Gooden (8 Opening Day starts) have made more...The Cardinals are 53-61-2 all time on Opening Day...New York has a 29-17 record on Opening Day. After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have captured 29 of their last 38 Opening Day games.

04/02 01:27:15 ET