Cardinals Blank Mets

Dustin May of the Cardinals throwing a pitch against the Mets

Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

June 9, 2026

Cardinals 7, Mets 0

The St. Louis Cardinals dominated from start to finish Tuesday night at Citi Field, shutting out the New York Mets 7-0. Dustin May was brilliant, throwing six scoreless innings while striking out six to earn the win. Alec Burleson homered and drove in three runs, while Ivan Herrera went 3-for-5 and scored three times. Freddy Peralta took the loss after allowing six earned runs across six innings. It was one of the Cardinals’ most complete performances of the 2026 season.

May Delivers His Best Start of the Season

May was in command from the first pitch. The Cardinals starter held the Mets to four hits across six innings on 101 pitches, striking out six and walking one. The Mets had no consistent answer for him all evening, going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and managing four hits. May has now thrown back-to-back quality starts after a stretch of inconsistency earlier in the season. After exiting following the sixth, Justin Bruihl and Matt Svanson combined for three scoreless innings to finish the team shutout. Bruihl struck out two across two innings on 21 pitches, and Svanson needed only 11 pitches for a perfect ninth.

Cardinals Blow It Open

The game was scoreless through two innings before the Cardinals erupted for four runs in the third against Peralta. Wetherholt broke the deadlock with a two-run double. He later scored on a double by Walker. Nootbaar drove in a run of his own with a groundout later that inning, pushing the lead to four. The Cardinals added two more runs in the fifth on a Burleson homer, making it 6-0. In the seventh, Burleson doubled home another run, this time off Joey Gerber, to cap the scoring at seven. The Cardinals went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position — converting when it mattered most in the big third inning.

Peralta Struggles against Cardinals Lineup

Peralta had a strong outing in his previous start, June 3 against the Mariners, but had no answer for the Cardinals. He allowed six hits and six earned runs across six innings on 98 pitches, including Burleson’s two-run home run in the fifth. His ERA climbed sharply on the evening, entering the game at 3.63 and ending the game at 4.04. Gerber took over in the seventh and allowed one run on three hits across two innings. Cionel Pérez closed out the ninth with a scoreless inning.

What Went Right for the Cardinals

May’s Dominant Outing

Six scoreless innings, four hits, six strikeouts, and one walk — May delivered the performance the Cardinals have been waiting for all season. He was efficient, commanding, and never seriously threatened throughout the evening. Back-to-back quality starts represent a significant development for a rotation that has been inconsistent.

Burleson’s Two-Run Homer

Burleson’s fifth-inning blast off Peralta was one of the defining swings of the game. Going 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and three RBI, he was the most productive hitter in the Cardinals lineup. His power at the middle of the order gives the Cardinals a genuine run-producer they can rely on.

Herrera and Church Provide Depth

Herrera went 3-for-3 with two hit-by-pitches and scored three times. Church went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Both gave the Cardinals consistent production beyond their top names, contributing to a balanced offensive effort that had the Mets struggling all night.

What Went Wrong for the Cardinals

Crooks and Winn Held Hitless

Jimmy Crooks went 0-for-4 and Masyn Winn went 0-for-4 as well. In a game the Cardinals won convincingly, their struggles at the plate were the one blemish on an otherwise outstanding offensive night.

Left Runners on Base

Despite scoring seven runs, the Cardinals went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners stranded. While the result was never in doubt, more efficient hitting with runners on could have pushed the margin even further.

Quick Hits

The Cardinals improved to 36-28 with the victory.
The Mets fell to 29-37 with the loss.
Church has now reached base in five of his last six games.
Burleson has now homered in back-to-back games.

Looking Ahead

Dustin May (4-6, 4.21 ERA) earned the win for the Cardinals as Freddy Peralta (4-5, 4.04) took the loss for the Mets.

Cardinals 7, Mets 0