Church Bats Cleanup, Mets Win Big

NEW YORK -- The Mets' peculiar June -- exasperating at times, exhilarating in other moments -- continued Wednesday night at Citi Field.

One night after they were shut out on two hits, they amassed 16 hits and produced a season-high run total and a lopsided shutout of their own, steamrolling the Cardinals.

With No. 4 hitter RYAN CHURCH driving in two runs, Fernando Tatis driving in three and David Wright producing four hits, the Mets won, 11-0.

The Mets' offense produced one home run, by Nick Evans in the fourth inning, and four doubles, two by Church, who batted cleanup for the second time in his tour with the Mets. Wright had a double as he equaled the highest hit total of his career.

The Mets scored three times in the fourth when Evans hit his third big league home run, his first since his promotion from Double-A last week. Wright led off with a single and advanced to third when Church doubled to left field.

So lopsided was this game that the Mets used Livan Hernandez as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.