The Mets (5-6) turned the second half into a free-for-all, with a 17-1 demolishing of the withering Cardinals (6-6). Chad Denny pitched a four-hitter to improve to 5-6.

Building a 5-1 lead on three Cardinal errors, the Mets finally got an earned run in the third on Kunio Kamiya's RBI single. They put the game away with seven runs in the fourth.

The emphatic victory bounces the Mets past the Cardinals in the run differential tie breaker and gives them a clear shot at next Sunday's final.



Notes: Kamiya has ten hits in his last twelve at-bats, raising his average 85 points to .321.