Die Macht » Starling Marte and Jordy Mercer also drove in runs.J

NEW YORK -- Noah Syndergaard kept it close, manager Terry Collins won a pair of replay challenges and the New York Mets threw out three runners on the bases.They just didnt do quite enough to beat the St. Louis Cardinals.The Mets remained stuck in a recent holding pattern, falling to St. Louis 3-2 Tuesday in the opener of a doubleheader. New York has alternated wins and losses for the last 11 games.I dont know how many times I got to say it, this is crunch time, Collins said. Say whatever you want, this is the time where we got to win games, string them together, win eight out of 10.Jedd Gyorko homered for the sixth time in eight games, hitting a two-run drive off Syndergaard (9-5). Rene Rivera hit a two-run homer off Carlos Martinez (10-6).The Mets played at home for the first time since the All-Star break and lost in a matchup of NL wild-card contenders. Citi Field was nearly empty at the start, a day after a rainout forced the twinbill.Syndergaard has won only one of his last five starts. The All-Star had a tough sequence in the second -- he got hit in the lower right leg by Tommy Phams one-hop single to load the bases, then made a wild, off-balance throw home on Martinezs comebacker to let a run score.Gyorko homered the next inning.I just think the Cardinals did a really good job of getting my pitch count high in the first two innings, Syndergaard said.There was some series of unfortunate events that happened in the second inning that got my pitch count elevated. And from that point Im just trying to last as long as I can out there, knowing that its a doubleheader, trying to give the bullpen a break, he said.Syndergaard struck out eight in six innings.Martinez left after the fifth inning. Three relievers finished, with Seung Hwan Oh getting his fifth save in six chances.Curtis Granderson led off the Mets ninth with a single but was thrown out trying to tag up on Yoenis Cespedes drive that Pham caught in deep center field.Gyorko was hitless in his previous 10 at-bats when he connected in the third. St. Louis has homered in 16 straight games, its best streak since a team-record 19-game string in 2006.The Cardinals opened a 10-game trip that also takes them to Miami and Cincinnati. They arrived at their New York hotel around 8:30 a.m. Monday after plane trouble, and the rainout gave them some much-needed rest.TWO TIMINGThis was the first doubleheader between the Cardinals and Mets since 1999. ... The Cardinals swept a twinbill from San Diego last Wednesday.26TH MANThe Cardinals recalled RHP Sam Tuivailala as the 26th player for the second game. Hes made three relief appearances for St. Louis this year. The Mets brought up 27-year-old lefty Josh Smoker -- hes made 43 relief appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas, and has never been in the majors.UP NEXTCardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (7-6, 3.98) pitches Game 2. He is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. Thats his lowest ERA vs. any opponent.Mets: RHP Bartolo Colon (8-5, 3.48) faces the Cardinals in the second game. He went 0-2 with a 15.58 ERA against them last year. Wholesale Custom Golden Knights Shirts .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Custom Golden Knights Jersey China . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.customgoldenknightsjersey.com/ . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey Large . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Custom Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. PITTSBURGH -- Aaron Nola was supposed to emerge as the Philadelphia Phillies ace this season.After a promising beginning, hes struggled of late, including on Saturday when he was tagged for six runs and six hits in four-plus innings while the Phillies lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4.When hes at his best, he has control of all his pitches, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Hes lost his control and he needs to a find a way to get it back.Nola (5-9) impressed as a rookie last season, going 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts, and then went 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA in his first 12 starts this season.Its unraveled since. Nola took a step backward from his last start when he pitched six shutout innings against the Miami Marlins on the heels of giving up 30 combined runs in his previous five outings.The Pirates drove him from the game during a five-run rally in the fifth inning that included two-run singles by Gregory Polanco and David Freese.Polancos hit put the Pirates ahead 4-3 and chased Nola. Freeses hit off Severino Gonzalez pushed the lead to three runs, and Francisco Cervelli capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to help Pittsburgh win for the fourth time in six games.I didnt have control of my curveball from the start and I just kept falling behind in the count, felt like I was 1-0 on everybody, Nola said. I still thought I did OK until the fifth inning. I left a couple of balls up and over the plate and they made me pay with some big hits.The Pirates Tyler Glasnow exited his second major league start in the fourth. The rookie right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day and allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits in three-plus innings. The 6-foot-8 22-year-old is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.Manager Clint Hurdle said he had no sense at all of the severity of the injury, but Glasnow did not seem overly concerned.Its a long year and youre always going to have things come up, Glasnow said. It was kind of a progression, I guess, inning by inning got a little worse and they felt like it was time for me to come out.Glasnow also hit two batters, including catcher CCameron Rupp, who left the game in the third inning after being struck in the left ear flap of his helmet.dddddddddddd Rupp did not display any concussion symptoms but will be re-examined Sunday as part of Major League Baseballs protocol for head injuries.Odubel Herrera had his second straight three-hit game for the Phillies after going 4 for 41 in his previous 11 games.It was getting pretty ugly for about a week there, so it feels good to get some hits, he said.Cesar Hernandez hit a pair of RBI singles and was one of four Phillies with two hits along with Andres Blanco, Tommy Joseph and Carlos Ruiz, who took over behind the plate for Rupp. Blanco and Joseph hit run-scoring singles.Cervelli went 2 for 3 and was the only Pirates player with multiple hits -- the Phillies outhit Pittsburgh 12-8. Starling Marte and Jordy Mercer also drove in runs.Juan Nicasio (8-6) allowed one run in two innings in relief of Glasnow. When Glasnow left, the score was tied 2-2 and the Phillies had runners on first and second with none out, but Nicasio escaped the jam unscathed.Mark Melancon closed with a scoreless inning for his 29th save.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies: 3B Maikel Franco (sore left wrist) sat out after being hit by a pitch in the first inning of Friday nights 4-0 win. Franco is considered day-to-day.Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (facial fractures) played catch before the game after leaving his rehab start Wednesday with Indianapolis after four innings because of a stiff neck.ROSTER MOVESIn addition to Glasnow, C Elias Diaz was recalled from Indianapolis while RHP AJ Schugel was optioned to the same club. C Eric Fryer was placed on the paternity list after his wife gave birth to twins -- a boy and a girl -- on Saturday.UP NEXTPhillies: RHP Vince Velasquez (8-2, 3.15 ERA) will start Sunday in the finale of the three-game series. He is 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA in six starts since his last loss May 29.Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.44) has allowed one run in six innings in each of his last two starts. ' ' '