ST. LOUIS — The Mets can thank Ryota Igarashi for sparing them another deadlocked journey into the night.
All it took was one pitch in last night’s eighth inning from the right-hander for the Mets to realize they probably weren’t headed toward 20 innings again.
Ryan Ludwick swatted an Igarashi fastball for a two-run homer that provided the decisive runs in the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
If not in the way they get there, the Mets are certainly consistent in the end result. They have played four series and lost two of three games in each of them. They now head to Citi Field for a 10-game homestand against the Cubs, Braves and Dodgers with the clamor rising for the Mets to turn this season around — or at least win consecutive games at some point.
Pedro Feliciano retired pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez for the second out of the eighth inning before Manuel summoned Igarashi to face Ludwick. The blast to left was reminiscent of the grand slam Raul Valdes surrendered to Lopez on Friday, ruining Oliver Perez’s gem.
“If the batting doesn’t go right, it’s up to the pitchers to get the tone right,” Igarashi said. “And, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that tonight for the team.”
Adam Wainwright retired the last 11 batters he faced in earning the complete-game victory. The Mets managed only four hits, all of them singles.
“Offensively we have to take it up a notch,” said manager Jerry Manuel, who employed a starting lineup that included Frank Catalanotto — batting cleanup — and Alex Cora but not Jason Bay.
Wainwright did better than any member of the Mets’ lineup by smacking a double against freshly recalled Tobi Stoner with one out in the eighth to begin the winning rally.
Stoner, who arrived before the game to lend an extra arm after Saturday’s 20-inning marathon, gave the Mets 2 1/3 innings of relief and was charged with one run after John Maine somehow survived five innings.
Maine showed improvement from his previous start, on Tuesday in Colorado, but didn’t nearly match the success of Mike Pelfrey, Perez and Johan Santana, who had combined to allow one run over 20 1/3 innings in the Mets’ previous three games.
All told, Maine allowed three earned runs on six hits and four walks.
Maine took a shutout into the fifth, but was hardly crisp: The Cardinals had eight base runners through the first four innings, which took Maine 99 pitches to get through. Then, on Maine’s 111th pitch, Colby Rasmus hit a three-run homer that erased the Mets’ 3-0 lead.
The Mets did their damage early, getting three runs against Wainwright in the second. Angel Pagan stroked a two-run single, and a Wainwright throwing error allowed a third run to score on the play.
David Wright said the 2-4 road trip wasn’t a bust.
“I think our starting pitchers settled down and found a comfort zone and our bullpen is pitching solid,” Wright said. “And hopefully this [homestand] there is more hits to be had.
“What is going on in the clubhouse is where it needs to be, we just need to do a better job of going out and executing.”