Andre Pallante and a quartet of relievers combined on a three-hit shutout for the host St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the New York Mets 3-0 in the middle game of a three-game series Tuesday night.
Ivan Herrera had a two-run double in the third and Ramon Urias added a homer leading off the seventh for the Cardinals, who recorded their first shutout since last Sept. 16.
Kodai Senga took the hard-luck loss after whiffing nine over six innings. The Mets were blanked for the first time since a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins in the season finale last Sept. 28 — a defeat that eliminated New York from playoff contention.
Pallante (1-0) gave up all three hits while walking three with three strikeouts over five-plus innings. It was the first win as well as the first scoreless effort for Pallante since he twirled seven innings of one-hit ball in a 7-1 win over the Marlins last July 28. Pallante finished the season by going 0-8 with a 7.09 ERA in his final 10 starts.
The Mets mounted their most serious threat against Pallante and Gordon Graceffo in the sixth. Juan Soto led off with New York’s final hit, a double, before Bo Bichette worked a five-pitch walk.
Graceffo entered and got Luis Robert Jr. to fly out to deep center. Soto tagged up and went to third but was left there when Jared Young lined into a 6-3 double play.
Ryne Stanek followed Graceffo by walking one in the seventh before JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien each threw a perfect inning. O’Brien earned his first save.
Senga (0-1), making his first big-league start since last Aug. 31, allowed four hits and walked three. The Cardinals did all their damage against him during a seven-pitch sequence leading off the third, when Victor Scott II doubled and JJ Wetherholt singled before both raced home on Herrera’s double to left.
Scott and Wetherholt had two hits apiece. Soto had two hits for the Mets and is batting .381 through five games.
