Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Stroman took the hill Tuesday night at Citi Field against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Stroman started hot getting Tommy Edman to strike out swinging to lead things off. Paul Goldschmidt ended up walking for the first baserunner of he game, which was followed up by a Tyler O’Neill strikeout for Stroman’s second of the inning. Storman completed an opening inning trio of strikeouts with Nolan Arenado swinging and missing. His first inning ERA this season has now fallen under 1.50.

Yadier Molina led off the second inning by flying out. Dylan Carlson grounded out for the second out, after a great snag by Pete Alonso. Stroman got his fourth strikeout of the game by catching Edmundo Sosa looking to retire the side.

Harrison Bader began the third inning by striking out on three pitches for Stroman’s fifth strikeout through the first eight batters. Jake Woodford followed up by striking out for yet another by Stroman, giving him six through his first nine batters. Edman flew out to retire the side, and become Stroman’s eighth straight batter retired.

Goldschmidt started off the fourth inning with a double for the first hit Cardinals hit in the game. O’Neill singled in Goldschmidt to make it a 2-1 Mets lead with no outs in the fourth. Arenado followed up by lining out to Jonathan Villar for the first out of the inning. Molina followed up the great play by Villar, by getting aboard with a one-out single. Carlson’s sacrifice fly scored O’Neill to tie the game at two apiece. Sosa reached first on bad throw by Stroman to get two runners in scoring position. Bader grounded out to end a rough fourth inning of work.

Matt Carpenter pinch hit for Woodford to start off the fifth inning, and lined out for the first out of the inning. Edman followed up by singling to center, and Goldschmidt grounded out for the second out of the inning. O’Neill struck out for Stroman’s seventh of the night, and to end the inning.

Arendao leadoff the sixth inning by flying out to center field, and Molina followed up by grounding out. Carlson ended the inning by striking out for his eighth of the night.

Stroman’s final line against the Cardinals was: six innings pitched, four hits, two earned runs, one walk and eight strikeouts. His ERA on the season is 2.88 through 31 starts.

With the Mets still in the playoff hunt, and every game mattering more and more as the regular season starts to wind down, the Mets will need starts like these from Stroman every game.