Figueroa Fine in Flushing

Nelson Figueroa lifted the measly Mets over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second contest of a two game series at Citi Field this afternoon. The New York pitcher earned his first win since last September after contributing 4 1/3 innings of four hit ball in relief of the injured scheduled starter, Jonathan Niese. Niese went down in the first inning of the game with a right leg ailment. Figueroa fanned five and did not issue a walk against a potent lineup featuring the most captive Cardinal, Albert Pujols. The Mets won the game and completed a 5-5 homestand on a positive note. St. Louis loaded the bases in the fifth inning with Figueroa on the hill. The hurler worked out of trouble, striking out newly-acquired Cardinal outfielder, Matt Holliday, to end the inning. The threat was the closest the visiting team would come to scratching a run across the plate to notch a digit on the scoreboard.
The Mets shutout St. Louis 9-0 backed solid relief pitching and sturdy and steady slugging. Angel Pagan and David Wright each smacked two run homeruns and collected three hits by the end of the nine innings. Wright stroked an opposite field long ball, going deep off Kyle Lohse in the bottom of the first. The tater was just the eighth for the All-Star third baseman this season, and fifth at spacious Citi Field. Figueroa helped his own cause at the plate in the second when he brought home two more Mets runs on a triple. Rick Ankiel, the Cardinals’ centerfielder, was charged with an error in the second frame on a Pagan fly ball, resulting in another New York tally. Pagan came through again in the sixth with an RBI triple and Alex Cora creamed an offering for a hit, pushing the lead to 7-0 Mets. In the eighth, Pagan pounded a pitch off Trevor Miller into the seats for the game’s final blow. Pagan had four RBIs total and clubbed his second homerun in four games.
Bobby Parnell kept St. Louis hitless after taking over for Figueroa in the sixth. Parnell picked up his first save of the season. Bobby also bashfully banged his first major league hit with an eighth inning single. It seems like the pitchers are producing at the plate more than the position players. New York needed this one bi g time, especially after Tuesday night’s devastating extra inning affair in which Pujols stole the stage at Citi. The offense looked alive on their way to a 15 hit day. It was just the second win in seven games for the Amazins. Figueroa filled in nicely but the bad thing is the Mets suffered yet another injury to a key player. Niese was inserted into Jerry Manuel’s rotation because of an injury to Fernando Nieve. Figueroa and Parnell combined to allow just six St. Louis hits. That feat is phenomenal when you think of the circumstances of the spot start and tattered, shattered Mets’ bullpen. Then again, Mets pitching has allowed the fewest homeruns in the NL all year, and they held together this afternoon. Pujols did manage to strike two doubles In his first two at-bats, but otherwise, the Cardinals were held in check with the wood.
Parting points: That was some finish last night in Tampa.
Congrats to Eli Manning on his reported $97 million deal.