Cardinals hold Mets in check in series opener

Miles Mikolas combined with three relievers on an eight-hitter Friday night for the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the New York Mets 4-2 in the opener of a three-game series.

Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras homered for the Cardinals, who have won three of four.

Tomas Nido had two hits, including a homer, for New York, which has lost four of five. J.D. Martinez had two hits, including an RBI double, in his Mets debut. Martinez, a lifetime .287 hitter with 315 career homers, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse prior to the game.

Mikolas (2-3) allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out five over 5 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander gave up 10 runs in 9 1/3 innings over his previous two starts.

JoJo Romero retired all four batters he faced, and Andrew Kittredge allowed one hit in the eighth before Ryan Helsley recorded his eighth save of the season by tossing a 1-2-3 ninth.

Mets starter Jose Butto (0-1) gave up four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over 5 2/3 innings. Relievers Josh Walker, Jorge Lopez and Sean Reid-Foley blanked the Cardinals on one hit the rest of the way.

Butto opened the second by hitting Nolan Arenado with a pitch and walking Paul Goldschmidt before Burleson hit his first homer of the season. Contreras led off the third with a homer to left, after which Butto retired 11 straight.

Mikolas kept the Mets in check before Nido homered with two outs in the fifth. Francisco Lindor doubled with one out in the sixth and scored when Martinez chased Mikolas with a two-out double.

Romero struck out Jeff McNeil to strand Martinez at second before throwing a perfect seventh. Kittredge worked around a leadoff single by Brandon Nimmo in the eighth before Helsley struck out two in the ninth.