Apr. 27—On a scale of injuries, the right wrist contusion suffered Tuesday night by Cardinals right-hander Jordan Hicks, who has had myriad elbow problems since 2019, doesn’t rank as the most dire thing that’s happened to him. For instance, he lives every day as a Type 1 diabetic.

Still, Hicks, transitioning to the rotation from the bullpen, had to exit his second career start, a 3-0 loss to the New York Mets, probably an inning or two before a pitch count would have hastened that departure. He finished the second inning after taking a Dominic Smith smash just above his wrist. But he retired none of the three hitters he faced in the third, bouncing three consecutive pitches in a walk to New York’s Brandon Nimmo after permitting back-to-back doubles to Jeff McNeil and James McCann, the .125 batter who had three hits on Tuesday.

Hicks, at 42 pitches, was removed, in large part so that he could be evaluated and treated. In fact, X-rays taken at the facilities in Busch Stadium came back as negative and Hicks and manager Oliver Marmol both projected that Hicks could be able to make his next start, which would be Sunday here against Arizona.

It happened so fast, said Hicks, that he didn’t have a chance to get his bare hand out of the way. “I kind of had a total recoil,” he said. “In the moment, I don’t remember trying to stop the ball or anything. It was coming right at me and it was too fast for me to get my glove over.

“It was as direct as it gets. I wasn’t scared but felt it was more like an initial shock. I think it was a little bit of bone that got hit.”

Between the second and third innings, Hicks had gone back in the clubhouse cage area and had thrown his fastball, slider and changeup and, “everything felt good,” Hicks said.

“I was rolling after the second (inning),” he said. “My stuff was sharp.”

But Hicks’ arm began tightening in the third and he looked over to the dugout after the walk to Nimmo that indicated that he couldn’t continue.

“I was like, ‘I’m done,’” he said. “I kind of wish I hadn’t gone out there but ... competition. I felt good enough to go and I wanted to go.”

But his fastball had lost some sink and he had lost some of his command, too. “I wanted to end it there. I wasn’t feeling my best,” he said.

The two runs charged to Hicks in the third largely were the difference in the game as the Cardinals, who had only three singles, went without an extra-base hit for the fourth time in six games.

There was action, however. The Cardinals had two bat ters nicked in six innings by New York starter Chris Bassitt, who also threw close to another hitter. In the eighth, Cardinals reliever Kodi Whitley threw a changeup that knocked the helmet off the head of Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who yelled some things at Whitley as he went to first but did not detour to the mound.

Nothing further happened in the top of the inning although home-plate umpire Mark Wegner issued warnings to both dugouts. But then former Cardinals farmhand Adam Ottavino hit the Cardinals’ Tommy Edman in the foot to start the eighth.

Wegner did not view this as retaliation. But both dugouts were chirping, with Mets righthander Max Scherzer very animated on the New York side.

Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner said, “He’s a competitor. He’s a guy I spent some time with during the offseason catching some of his bullpens down in Florida. So I know he’s a tough dude.

“Maybe he was yelling at Fredbird.”

Then the Cardinals’ Aaron Brooks hit Starling Marte in the back with the bases loaded in the ninth to force in the Mets’ final run. That made a total of five hit batsmen for the two teams, with another game Wednesday afternoon.

“Whether it’s intentional or not, it has to stop,” said Marte through an interpreter. “It has to stop. We’re tired of it, and we’re going to have to do something about it if it continues to happen because it is uncomfortable every single time you go out there and you’re getting hit.”

But Marmol said, “There’s nothing to that,” of the lategame festivities. “There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it.”

Bassitt, meanwhile, criticized Major League baseball for the makeup of the baseballs.

“It’s extremely annoying to see your teammates constantly get hit,” Bassitt said. “If you get hit by certain pitches it is what it is, but to get hit in the head, the amount that we’re getting hit is unbelievable. I had some close calls tonight, and I’ve been hit in the face and I don’t ever want to do that to anybody ever. But the MLB has a very big problem with their baseballs. They’re bad. Everybody knows it. Every pitcher in the league knows it; they’re bad. They don’t care. MLB doesn’t give a damn about it.”

Mets manager Buck Showalter said, “It’s one thing to get hit on a toe and knee. You know, we’re getting a lot of balls in the head and neck. It’s just not good. Not good.”

Cardinals rookie Andre Pallante continued his strong early-season pitching, working three scoreless innings and left-hander Packy Naughton made his Cardinals debut, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado singled off Bassitt, which was no mean feat. Bassitt had given up just one hit in 26 at-bats to right-handed swingers this season.

“He mixes enough to keep guys off balance,” said Marmol. “He did a nice job. But we can’t let that guy shut us out, though.”

In their past six games, or since Arenado homered in the ninth inning to win a game in Miami last Wednesday, the Cardinals have but five doubles and no home runs to show as extra-base knocks. Shortstop Paul DeJong, who struck out in his first two at-bats, giving him seven strikeouts in his past three outs over three games, did have a single to end a nothing-for-13 skid and also flied to deep left.

Goldschmidt made a bid for his first homer of the season but left fielder Mark Canha ran down a drive just in front of the wall. And Tyler O’Neill flied to Marte at the track in right.

Good contact but only singles to show for the night. “Doubles and homers play,” said Marmol. “The reality: Did we do what we wanted to do tonight? No. Did we take some good at-bats?”

He answered yes to that one but said, “Do we want to see more extra-base hits? Absolutely.”

The Cardinals’ losing streak reached three games. They have scored three runs in that time. The Cardinals have lost a series for the first time this season and for the first time to the Mets in six series since 2018.