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ST. LOUIS -- Carlos Martinez held up his end of the bargain in Wednesday night's potential pitcher's duel. As for Jacob deGrom, not so much. Martinez limited the New York Mets to four hits and a run in eight dominant innings while the St. Louis Cardinals issued a second straight pounding to deGrom in an 8-1 verdict at Busch Stadium.
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Martinez (12-7) walked three and struck out five while inducing two more double play balls, giving him a National League-high 27 for the year. Meanwhile, deGrom (7-7), who allowed 13 hits and eight runs Thursday night at San Francisco, was ripped for 12 hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings, walking two and fanning three.
The Cardinals (67-58) tied a season high with 19 hits. Everyone in the lineup collected a hit before the fifth inning was over and every starter but Matt Carpenter finished with multiple hits.
Stephen Piscotty went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Yadier Molina also went 3-for-5, singling home the last run in the eighth to cap the onslaught.
St. Louis stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami for the NL's second wild-card spot, while New York (63-63) fell 4 1/2 games back of the Cardinals.
St. Louis opened the scoring in the first when Carpenter, back in the leadoff spot after not driving in a run in his last 33 at-bats while hitting third or second, cracked his 16th home run of the year and the 12th leadoff homer of his career.
Doubles by Jay Bruce and Asdrubal Cabrera put New York on the board in the second, although Bruce suffered a cramp in his right calf legging out his blooper down the left field line and had to leave the game for pinch-runner Alejandro De Aza.
Piscotty snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-out RBI infield hit in the third that scored Jedd Gyorko, who singled and reached third on Brandon Moss' single.
Randal Grichuk increased the Cardinals' lead to 3-1 in the fourth with his 17th homer of the season, a 424-foot shot to the bleachers in right-center field. It was his fifth homer in 40 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 11.
Piscotty clouted his 19th homer of the year, a two-run shot to the seats in left, with Moss aboard in the fifth to make it 5-1.
NOTES: St. Louis RHP Lance Lynn (right elbow) made his third rehab start Wednesday night at Double-A Springfield and was scheduled to throw around 50 pitches. Lynn underwent Tommy John surgery in November. ... New York placed LHP Jonathon Niese (left knee) on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and recalled RHP Erik Goeddel from Triple-A Las Vegas. Goeddel was 1-0 with a 4.18 ERA in 28 games with the Mets earlier this year. ... Cardinals RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right shoulder inflammation) started a throwing program Tuesday and will throw off flat ground for two weeks before further evaluation.
