Mets Spoil Cardinals 2018 Home Opener

  All teams love to play at home In front of their own fans. The Cardinals looked to avoid a two-game losing streak after losing the finale to Bluefield 11-10. However, their bats were silenced by very good pitching from the Kingsport Mets and the home opener for the Cardinals was spoiled with a 9-4 loss.
  Johnson City sent Edwar Ramirez to the mound and he shut down the Mets for three innings. In the top of the fourth, the Mets were able to break through for five runs and the Mets never lost the lead since. 
    It took a little bit for the bats of the Cardinals to wake up. It also took a big bat. In the bottom of the sixth, Leandro Cedeno launched a two-run homerun to dead center field to put the Cardinals on the board to cut the lead 6-2.
    Kingsport added three runs in the top of the seventh to make it 9-2, that's where it would stay for the Mets, but Johnson City would try to find some magic they had in the finale at Bluefield where they scored eight runs in two innings. 
    The bottom of the ninth started for the Cardinals with a strikeout. However, Benito Santiago singled to get things started. After a groundout that moved Santiago to second, the Cardinals were down to their final out. Jonatan Machado continued his hot hitting and hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 9-3. A wild pitch allowed Machado to move to third. Moises Castillo then doubled to score Machado from third and cut the deficit to 9-4. Luis Silva, the Mets reliever was able to recover and strikeout Leandro Cedeno to win the game for the Mets.
    Cardinals pitching struggled in this game. Edwar Ramirez started the game and lasted four innings. He gave up eight hits, five earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. The game went to the bullpen and several Cardinal relievers made their 2018 season debuts. Tommy Parsons pitched one inning, giving up one hit and one earned run, while walking two. Enrique Perez pitched 1.2 innings, giving up two hits, and three earned runs, while walking three and striking out two. Finally, Evan Sisk came in to close out the game, he threw 2.1 innings, giving up two hits and striking out five.
    The Cardinals try to avoid a three game losing streak tomorrow at 7 PM. Gates open at 5:30 and it's a special giveaway, Paul DeJong Bobblehead Giveaway. After Sunday's finale against the Mets at home, the Cardinals go on the road Monday and Tuesday at Elizabethton before an off day on Wednesday.
  For more information visit jccardinals.com.