ST. LOUIS (AP) – Marcell Ozuna hit a tiebreaking two-run single and Michael Wacha won his fourth straight start as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 9-1 on Wednesday night.
Jedd Gyorko added a two-run homer for St. Louis, which has won nine of 11.
Ozuna had just one hit in his previous 24 at-bats prior to a bases-loaded single to cap a three-run third inning that put the Cardinals in front to stay 3-1. Acquired from the Marlins on Dec. 14 for four prospects, the outfielder had struck out 23 times in his previous 20 games. He finished 1 for 4.
Wacha (4-1) gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He struck out eight and walked one. He is 4-0 with 2.78 ERA over his last four starts. His only loss this season came in a 6-2 setback to the Mets on March 31.
Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong had two hits each for the Cardinals, and Dexter Fowler drove in two runs.
Steven Matz (1-2) gave up seven runs, just three earned, over 3 1/3 innings. He surrendered five hits and fell to 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.
The Mets have dropped six of 10 after an 11-1 start to the season.
St. Louis added four runs in the fourth on two hits and two errors. Wacha brought in Paul DeJong with a squeeze bunt. Dexter Fowler drew a bases-loaded walk for a 5-1 cushion.
Gyorko’s 100th career homer, in the fifth off Corey Oswalt, pushed the lead to 9-1.
Jay Bruce had given the Mets a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the third.
St. Louis outfielder Tommy Pham was removed in the third inning after suffering a head laceration before the game.
Pham got a cut on his head before his second at-bat of the game when he accidentally hit himself in the indoor batting cage while warming up.
“I was in the cages working on my swing,” Pham said. “My barrel went back and hit the band of this contraption and drilled me in the head. When blood started gushing down, I had to get that fixed.”
Pham, who has been battling hamstring issues, missed games on Saturday and Sunday against Cincinnati. He returned to the lineup Monday and went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in a 6-5 loss to the Mets.
Pham hit a fly ball to right field in the first inning. Harrison Bader then pinch-hit for him in the third.