Diaz Crumbles In The 9th, Mets-Cardinals Game Suspended Due To Rain Tied At 4
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The game between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets was suspended because of rain Thursday night, moments after Harrison Bader hit an RBI double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning that made it 4-all.
Play will resume Friday at 6:10 p.m. beginning in the bottom of the ninth. That will be followed by the regularly scheduled game between the teams.
St. Louis scored twice in the ninth off closer Edwin Diaz to tie it, capping a bizarre sequence that saw umpires reverse their call and order the tarp off the field right after it had been rolled out.
Rain was falling hard when New York took the field for the ninth with a 4-2 lead, and umps ordered the field covered. As the tarp got spread, rookie first baseman Pete Alonso and several other Mets pleaded their case to play on.
After the umps and both managers met in the middle of the diamond, the call was overturned — no review of the weather map needed. The grounds crew finished working on the field and action resumed after a nine-minute wait.
Kolten Wong hit an RBI single off the left field wall with two outs against Diaz, then scored when Bader doubled into the corner. Wong managed to keep his footing on the soaked dirt as he rounded third, helped when shortstop Amed Rosario had trouble handling the wet ball on a weak relay.
Bader was thrown out after he slipped and fell between second and third. The field was covered after that, and the suspension was announced 50 minutes later.
The Mets top the majors with 15 blown saves, including three by Diaz in 17 tries.
For Diaz, his latest blown save adds to a difficult first season in New York. The Mets closer posted a woeful 5.06 ERA in May. He's already given up five home runs this season; the same number Diaz surrendered in all of 2018.
Jacob deGrom was in line for the win after another solid effort. New York's ace allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out eight.
Michael Conforto connected for a two-run homer off Jack Flaherty, the Mets' team-record 17th straight home game with a long ball. Paul DeJong went deep for St. Louis.
OH, BABY!
Mets catcher Wilson Ramos got a big surprise when he was in the on-deck circle in the fourth inning: His wife made her way down to the screen and held up a sign that said, "We're Pregnant!"
Moments later, Ramos struck out looking. This will be the couple's third child.
UP NEXT:
Cardinals: In the regularly scheduled game, RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-0, 1.80 ERA) starts in place of injured Adam Wainwright (hamstring).
Mets: LHP Steven Matz (5-4, 3.88) is 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in three career starts vs. St. Louis. Overall, the Mets have won the last seven times Matz has started at Citi Field.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
