NEW YORK -- For a team thats historically been known for pitching, speed and defense, these St. Louis Cardinals sure are hitting a lot of home runs lately.Especially Jedd Gyorko.Gyorko connected again, launching a two-run drive off Noah Syndergaard that sent the Cardinals over the New York Mets 3-2 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader.Gyorko homered for the sixth time in eight games, giving him 13 this season.Hes amazing. Hes doing a great job, manager Mike Matheny said. Hes an interesting player. I dont think people realize how good he is.The Cardinals lead the NL in home runs with 137, matching last years total. The last time they led the league was 1998, the Elias Sports Bureau said, when Mark McGwire hit 70 of their 223.No one on the Cardinals is among the league leaders in home runs, but eight players have reached double digits.We have a lot of guys with 20-plus potential, Matheny said. Not every team can say that.St. Louis has homered in 16 straight games, its best streak since a team-record 19-game string in 2006.The Mets played at home for the first time since the All-Star break and lost in a matchup of NL wild-card contenders. Citi Field was nearly empty at the start, a day after a rainout forced the twinbill.New York lost despite throwing out three runners on the bases and manager Terry Collins winning a pair of replay challenges. The Mets have alternated wins and losses for the last 11 games.I dont know how many times I got to say it, this is crunch time, Collins said. Say whatever you want, this is the time where we got to win games, string them together, win eight out of 10.Carlos Martinez (10-6) gave up a two-run homer to Rene Rivera and left after the fifth inning with a 3-2 lead. Three relievers finished, with Seung Hwan Oh getting his fifth save in six chances.Curtis Granderson led off the Mets ninth with a single but was thrown out trying to tag up on Yoenis Cespedes drive that Tommy Pham caught in deep center field.Syndergaard (9-5) has won only one of his last five starts. The All-Star had a tough sequence in the second -- he got hit in the lower right leg by Phams one-hop single to load the bases, then made a wild, off-balance throw home on Martinezs comebacker to let a run score.Gyorko was hitless in his previous 10 at-bats when he connected in the third.The Cardinals opened a 10-game trip that also takes them to Miami and Cincinnati. They arrived at their New York hotel around 8:30 a.m. Monday after plane trouble, and the rainout gave them some much-needed rest.This was the Cardinals second doubleheader in a week, and their first against the Mets since 1999.26TH MANThe Cardinals recalled RHP Sam Tuivailala as the 26th player for the second game. Hes made three relief appearances for St. Louis this year. The Mets brought up 27-year-old lefty Josh Smoker -- hes made 43 relief appearance for Triple-A Las Vegas, and has never been in the majors.UP NEXTCardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (7-6, 3.98) pitches Game 2. He is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. Thats his lowest ERA vs. any opponent.Mets: RHP Bartolo Colon (8-5, 3.48) faces the Cardinals in the second game. He went 0-2 with a 15.58 ERA against them last year. Cheap Air Max 90 Australia Free Shipping . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Nike Shoes Australia Outlet . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". http://www.airmax90saleaustralia.com/ . JOHNS, N. Cheap Air Max Australia . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia Online . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In a season opener that was otherwise unimpressive for Michigan State, running back LJ Scott was a bright spot.It wasnt just how far he carried the ball -- but how often.Scott ran for 105 yards on 20 carries in Michigan States 28-13 victory over Furman on Sept. 2, staking an immediate claim as the top running back for the 12th-ranked Spartans. His performance was significant because last year Scott split carries almost evenly with Madre London and Gerald Holmes. That wasnt the case against Furman.It made a big difference, Scott said. I was able to catch my rhythm, and I was hungry for the ball. I was calling for it every time.The Spartans have this weekend off before playing at Notre Dame on Sept. 17. They have a lot to work on after a penalty-filled opener, and it remains to be seen how the running game will fare against tougher competition.Scott ran for 699 yards as a freshman in 2015 on a team-high 146 carries, but London had 119 rushing attempts and Holmes had 110. The rotating system was a bit of a change for Michigan State, which leaned on running back Jeremy Langford the previous two seasons and LeVeon Bell before that.In 2012, Bell had 382 carries, the third-highest season total in school history.Last season, the Spartans were content to have their backs share the rushing load. Scott reached 20 carries only once -- in the Big Ten title game against Iowa. In the final minute of that game, he reached the ball over the goal line to cap a 22-play drive that sent the Spartans to the College Football Playoff.It wasnt a surprise to see Scott start against Furman, but London had only five carries and Holmes didnt have any. That was a bit unexpected.I think we go with the productive player and the productive sittuation at every time, coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday.dddddddddddd Im never going to say were not going to use three. If we can get people in rhythm, I think thats good. Guys come out -- we didnt want to have three guys come out with eight carries apiece, or even nine apiece. We wanted to make sure that we somewhat had the majority.Michigan States running game may be scrutinized more this year because the Spartans have a new starting quarterback. Fifth-year senior Tyler OConnor has taken over after backing up Connor Cook for the previous three seasons.Michigan State had 40 rushes and only 18 pass attempts against Furman. The Spartans never trailed in the game, so there wasnt much pressure to try to score quickly.But OConnor actually ended up with Michigan States second-most rushing attempts with six. Scott was the only running back who had the ball on a consistent basis.My plan was to play three running backs, offensive coordinator Dave Warner said. But LJ was playing the majority.He scored a touchdown on the first drive after the Spartans marched down the field. After that, Michigan State stuck with him instead of worrying about spreading opportunities around.So as the Spartans move on to tougher opponents, Scott appears to have quite an opportunity. If Michigan State wants to identify one top running back and give the most carries to him, that figures to be Scotts job to lose.I think that hes earned the starting position, and I think that hes earned to be kind of the lead guy, Warner said. Hes done that most especially throughout this camp in August.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '
