Tidwell got knocked out in the fourth inning, after allowing six earned runs, in the Mets’ 6-5 loss in Game 1 of a split doubleheader at Busch Stadium. The Mets, after receiving a rare starting pitching letdown, lost for the third time in four games.

In his major-league debut, righthander Blade Tidwell got hit around for six runs in 3 2/3 innings. He worked through a ton of traffic on the bases — nine hits, three walks — and managed that mostly fine until the fourth inning, when St. Louis plated four runs on a pair of two-out, two-run singles from Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras.

Mets rookie righty Blade Tidwell wiggled through trouble early in his debut but succumbed in the fourth inning Sunday against the Cardinals.