NEW YORK — On Wednesday afternoon, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he hoped his team was ready to return to playing Cardinals-style baseball.
A few hours later, a 7-3 victory by the Mets over the Cardinals left New York manager Terry Collins speaking optimistically about the possibility of his squad mounting a long-overdue run.
The truth is both teams are running out of time entering the finale of a four-game series Thursday at Citi Field. The Mets’ Seth Lugo (4-2, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to oppose the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn (8-6, 3.40) in a matinee matchup of right-handers.