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 Jerseys . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Stitched Cheap Jerseys .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. http://www.wholesalejerseys.info/ .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Wholesale Jerseys China .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. NFL Cheap Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. POCATELLO, Idaho -- Keaton Studsrud threw two touchdown passes and ran for another to help North Dakota get past an Idaho State upset bid, 28-21, on Saturday.Tied at 14 at intermission, North Dakota (6-2, 5-0 Big Sky) went 78 yards on 15 plays, culminating with Brady Oliveiras 4-yard run, to take a 21-14 lead. Studsruds 17-yard touchdown pass to Josh Seibel at the start of the fourth made it a two-score game.Idaho State (2-5, 1-3) made it 28-21 with 1:23 left on Tanner Guellers 17-yard touchdown pass to Kw Williams -- his second of the day -- but North Dakota recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.ddddddddddddStudsrud completed 12 of 20 attempts for 173 yards. John Santiago had 101 yards on 18 carries and Oliveira finished with 46 yards on 16 carries.Gueller went 26 of 49 for 220 yards and three touchdowns and added 32 yards rushing for the Bengals. ' ' '