Cards hold off Mets 6-5 to take first game of doubleheader

Willson Contreras went 3-for-4 for three RBIs and the St. Louis Cardinals held on for a 6-5 win against the visiting New York Mets in Game 1 of a doubleheader Sunday.

Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (2-3) allowed three runs on six hits, struck out four and walked five in five innings. Ryan Helsley gave up one hit in the ninth for the save.

Mets starter Blade Tidwell (0-1) had a rough go in his big-league debut, tagged for six runs on nine hits and walking three in 3 2/3 innings.

New York narrowed it to 6-5 in the eighth. With the bases loaded and one out, Francisco Lindor, who had three RBIs on the day, singled to right to drive in Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuna. Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero entered the game and walked Juan Soto to load the bases but then struck out Pete Alonso looking and got Brandon Nimmo on a fly to center.

Heisley pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

St. Louis went through all nine batters in the fourth to break a 2-2 tie. Victor Scott II and Jose Barrero scored on Brendan Donovan's bases-loaded single for a 4-2 lead. Contreras knocked a line-drive single to right field that brought in Alec Burleson and Donovan to push it to 6-2.

New York cut it to 6-3 in the top of the sixth. McNeil walked to open the inning. A single and a force out advanced him to third, and he scored when Lindor grounded into a forceout.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Alonso knocked a two-out double to right field and Nimmo brought him home with a double of his own.

Contreras' home run tied it at 1 in the bottom of the second, belting a slider to right-center field that hit the top of the wall and bounced into the Cardinals' bullpen.

New York made it 2-1 in the third. Soto led off with a single and Alonso followed with his second double of the day to move Soto to third. He then scored on Jesse Winker's sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals pulled even in the bottom half. Donovan, Arenado and Contreras each connected for a single to load the bases, and Donovan scored on a sacrifice fly by Nolan Gorman.

--Field Level Media