Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

David Peterson got the start today the Mets’ fourth spring training game as the team traveled to West Palm Beach to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The team ultimately dropped the game 12-7, though some youngsters shined and Peterson got off to a nice start this spring.

Peterson, looking to cement his spot as the first-man-up if any of the first five starters miss time, threw two strong innings. He struck out three batters—all Cardinals regular season starters—and walked one. His first frame ended with an athletic jump throw on a dribbler down the line to nab Paul Goldschmidt.

The pitching unraveled from there, though, as the Cardinals scored 12 runs over the next six frames. Conner Grey, who will likely spend the year in Syracuse again, gave up a two-run bomb to Brendan Donovan in the third, though he settled in for a 1-2-3 fourth. Jose Chacin replaced him and allowed four straight runners to start the fifth. Two scored. After a strikeout and a walk (and Chacin’s 26th pitch), Buck Showalter pulled the plug and brought in reliever prospect Trey McLoughlin. He induced two pop outs, however they sandwiched a bases-clearing double from Paul DeJong to put the Cards up 7-4.

Kyle Wilson relieved McLoughlin and had a rough second frame, which featured a runner reaching by error (a ground ball went under Ronny Mauricio‘s legs), a single, a walk, and two balks. All that brought in two more runs. Alex Valverde hopped on the struggle bus, too, allowing a single, walk, then a three-run dinger in the eighth. He allowed a double and walk before getting pulled (you get it by now), but the frame put the game out of reach.

Largely sending their B-team to West Palm Beach, the Mets pieced together 13 hits and four walks to produce seven runs Monday afternoon. Tim Locastro and Luis Guillorme led the way from the one- and two-hole, respectively. Each notched two hits, and each got on base an extra time via a walk (Guillorme) and hit by pitch (Locastro). Guillorme knocked in two on the day.

Pete Alonso was the only starter to go to West Palm and he snuck in four plate appearances. He walked in two of them and scored once on a Mark Vientos single (his only hit of the day). Francisco Álvarez notched three plate appearances himself from the designated hitter slot in his first start of the spring, though he went 0-for-3, having one dribbler through the right side cut down on a Gold Glove-type play from Goldschmidt.

After the top of the sixth, a bevy of young prospects made their way into the game. Here’s how they did:

Lugo and Mauricio both homered in the ninth inning, It was the second day in a row Mauricio launched a dinger into right-center field.

Monday’s game ended up as the longest spring game for the Mets so far, clocking in at three hours on the dot.

On Deck

The Mets play again Tuesday at 1:10 p.m. against the Houston Astros. The game will be at Clover Park and will once again be televised on ESPN. José Quintana will make his first Mets start, and Luis Garcia will start for the Astros.

Before the game, Showalter did say Max Scherzer would pitch Friday and Justin Verlander would make his Mets spring debut on Saturday.