Mets Lose 2-1 to Cardinals in 11 Innings on Lindor Errors

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The New York Mets dropped a 2-1 decision to the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings on Wednesday, with star shortstop Francisco Lindor committing two uncharacteristic mental errors that contributed to the loss and highlighted the team's early-season struggles.

In the first inning, with one out and Iván Herrera on first base, left-handed hitter Alec Burleson grounded to Lindor at shortstop. Positioned near second, Lindor stepped on the bag for the force out but forgot the number of outs and headed toward the dugout instead of throwing to first to complete the double play. By the time he realized the mistake, it was too late. Mets starter Freddy Peralta recovered by striking out the next batter to end the inning, though the extra pitches may have impacted his outing. Lindor later called the gaffe inexcusable, saying, "I just forgot the outs."

The second miscue came in the sixth inning and proved more costly. Lindor reached first on a fielding error by Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman with one out. As the leadoff hitter, he strayed too far from the bag while adjusting his gloves and was easily picked off by St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore on a quick step-off...