Martínez Fails in Early Going, and Bullpen Flounders Late

That estimation put Martínez into the bottom of the first inning, when the Cardinals were smacking him around for four runs. But by the end of a long and exhausting evening, which featured inspired comebacks by both teams, Martínez had become a footnote. The Mets lost a two-run lead in the eighth inning, then lost the game with two outs in the ninth, when Troy Glaus homered off Carlos Muniz to lift the Cardinals to a 8-7 victory at Busch Stadium.

With the Mets leading by two runs heading into the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Heilman stayed in to pitch. It would have otherwise been time for Duaner Sánchez, but Sánchez said that his left knee, which was struck by a batted ball Tuesday night, felt sore and that he was unable to pitch.