ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Clay Holmes delivered a gritty 5 2/3-inning start and the New York Mets’ bullpen slammed the door over the final three frames as the visitors edged the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Monday night at Busch Stadium.

In a game that defied the high-scoring projections of a preseason simulator, the Mets (3-1) used timely hitting and a series of key defensive plays to secure a series-opening victory before a crowd of 21,307. The Cardinals fell to .500 at 2-2.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the sixth inning, transforming a tight one-run contest into a more comfortable three-run lead for New York. Leading 2-1, the Mets ignited a two-out rally against Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy. Brett Baty sparked it with a single, and Jared Young followed by lacing an RBI double down the right-field line to score Baty. After a strikeout and a groundout moved Young to third, the Mets exploited wildness from the St. Louis bullpen. Francisco Alvarez walked, Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch, and Juan Soto worked a bases-loaded walk to force in Young, extending the lead to 4-1.

That cushion proved vital moments later in the bottom half of the inning. After Holmes retired the first two batters, Nolan Gorman connected for a solo home run to right-center field, pulling the Cardinals back within two runs. Holmes then retired Jordan Walker on a fly ball to end his night, having allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five.

From there, the Mets’ relief corps was dominant. Tobias Myers, who entered after Holmes, recorded the final out of the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh, fanning Nathan Church, Pedro Pagés, and Victor Scott II. Brooks Raley navigated a one-out single in the eighth, and Devin Williams pitched a perfect ninth, striking out Church swinging to end the game and earn his first save of the season.

The game began with both teams trading runs in the first inning. The Mets struck immediately as Francisco Lindor led off the game with a triple to right field and scored on Bo Bichette’s groundout. The Cardinals answered in their half, as JJ Wetherholt walked, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Alec Burleson’s single to right.

Holmes (1-0) and Leahy (0-1) then settled into a duel. The Mets missed a chance to add on in the fourth when Jorge Polanco hit a ground-rule double but was stranded at third. They finally broke through against Leahy in the fifth. Carson Benge singled, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on Bichette’s sharp RBI single to right, giving New York a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish.

Leahy took the loss, charged with four runs on eight hits over five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out one. The Cardinals’ bullpen of Matt Svanson and George Soriano provided four scoreless innings of relief, but the St. Louis offense could not solve the Mets’ pitching after the sixth.

New York out-hit St. Louis 10-5. Polanco led the Mets with two hits, while Bichette drove in two runs. For the Cardinals, Burleson had two of the team’s five hits, including an RBI single and a double.

The victory continued a strong early-season trend for the Mets, who have won three of their first four. They rebounded from a 10-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Cardinals, coming off a high-scoring loss to Tampa Bay, saw their offense stifled after the sixth inning.

According to pregame projections, Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 7-6 Mets victory, while its ELO system gave New York a 53.7% chance to win. The Mets were also installed as 1.5-run favorites. The combined final score of six runs fell well under the over/under line of 8.5.

The two teams will meet again Tuesday night in the second game of the three-game series. The Mets will continue their road trip with a four-game set in San Francisco beginning Thursday, while the Cardinals will host the Mets once more Wednesday before embarking on a six-game road trip to Detroit and Washington.