Kodai Senga, Pete Alonso lead Mets past Cardinals

Kodai Senga tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday and Pete Alonso continued his hot start by knocking in two runs as the New York Mets blanked the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 3-0.

Senga (3-1) allowed just three hits, walked two and fanned four in an 89-pitch performance. Three relievers finished up from there, with Edwin Diaz pitching a 1-2-3 ninth to garner his fifth save.

Matthew Liberatore (1-2) pitched well but was saddled with the loss, lasting 6 2/3 innings and permitting two runs off six hits. He walked one and struck out six.

The only inning where Liberatore experienced trouble was the third, when New York got the only runs it needed. Luisangel Acuna led off with a double to right-center and was still at second with two outs when Juan Soto swatted a hanging curve up the middle for an RBI single.

Alonso followed by lacing an outside fastball to the wall in left-center and Soto scored from first, putting two runs on the board that St. Louis couldn't make up. Its best opportunity came in the eighth when it filled the bases against set-up man A.J. Minter via three walks.

Alec Burleson's hard grounder up the middle looked like it might get to center field but shortstop Francisco Lindor had other ideas. Ranging to the right field side of second base, Lindor gloved, spun and threw a seed to first to get Burleson by a stride.

Alonso added insurance in the last of the eighth when he crushed a solo shot to left field, his sixth of the season. The ball traveled an estimated 443 feet and gave Alonso 23 RBI in 21 games. No other Met has made it to 10 yet.

Rookie shortstop Thomas Saggese doubled twice for the Cardinals, while Soto and Alonso each had two of New York's eight hits.

Mets third baseman Mark Vientos left the game after four innings with what the team termed groin discomfort.

--Field Level Media