ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Tyrone Taylor, an ostensible fourth outfielder, thought his surprising ascension up the Mets lineup, all the way to No. 2, was “cool.”
It does not sound as if it will last, but it was cool while it lasted.
Taylor, a player whose on-field performance seems much more impressive than his .236 average and .679 OPS, immediately made manager Carlos Mendoza look smart in Taylor’s first time batting in between Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo.
Pete Alonso was sent down to No. 5 in a move partly motivated by the matchup against righty Andre Pallante, partly by Alonso’s struggles and partly by Taylor’s bat.
The No. 2 spot in the order came up in the fifth inning, when the Mets held a narrow, 2-0 lead and had loaded the bases with one out.
“I already had hit a couple ground balls to third base,” Taylor said after the 6-0 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. “I knew I had Nimmo hitting behind me, a really good hitter, so I was really trying to put the ball in the air.”
Taylor got a 1-2 sinker across the plate and volleyed it down the right-field line.
By the time he eased into second base, he had collected his 26th, 27th and 28th RBIs of the season with a bases-clearing double that essentially ended the game.
“The game called on Tyrone to step up in that situation,” Harrison Bader said. “Mendy looks like a genius in that. I think he picked the right guy for the job in that given situation.”
Mendoza said it is not likely Taylor makes a home at No. 2 — and with the Rockies opening Tuesday’s series with a lefty, a more traditional Mets lineup likely will be put together.
But for one game, it was pretty cool for Taylor, Mendoza and the Mets.
“It’s great when it works,” Mendoza said. “But it’s baseball. Sometimes it’s going to work. Sometimes it’s not going to work.”
A day after smashing a foul ball off his ankle, Mark Vientos was on the bench.
The everyday third baseman watched his ankle swell up Sunday, when he remained in the game, but took a seat Monday as Jose Iglesias, who went 1-for-4, played third.
“He’s better today,” Mendoza said of Vientos, who Mendoza said was available off the bench but was not used.
Jesse Winker, acquired to hit righties, took a seat against Pallante.
Winker, who is being eased into the outfield after serving as a DH with the Nationals, played the previous two games in the outfield.
Righties Reed Garrett (elbow nerve inflammation) and Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder impingement) will “most likely” require another rehab game, Mendoza said.
Both pitched Sunday with Double-A Binghamton and neither pitched well.
Garrett allowed three runs while recording one out, and Reid-Foley walked three in two-thirds of an inning.
Wildness has been an issue for Reid-Foley, who has walked six in 2 ¹/₃ minor league innings while rehabbing.
Mendoza said they came out fine physically and would rehab at Citi Field on Monday before their next rehab games.
Early Monday afternoon, fire alarms went off at the Mets’ team hotel.
Some players and staff already had left for the park, and those who had not had to leave the building.
No one was believed hurt, though it provided one more wrinkle to a trying road trip.
Bader, who played his first five major league seasons in St. Louis, received a standing ovation on his second trip back to Busch Stadium.
Bader used a timeout before his at-bat began in the third inning to tip his helmet to the crowd.
“That’s the best,” Bader said. “To see everyone stand up, it really does mean the world to me.”
Minor League Baseball announced that Brandon Sproat, recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for his work with Double-A Binghamton from July 29-Aug. 4.
The righty struck out 11 consecutive batters to end an outing that included 13 strikeouts and two hits over five scoreless innings.
