Wellemeyer (7-2, 3.46 ERA) allowed four hits with three strikeouts while throwing 76 pitches in five scoreless innings of a 3-2, 10-inning loss at Detroit on Thursday. It was the right-hander's first start in nearly two weeks after being sidelined by elbow discomfort.

He attempted to return from the injury on June 13, but exited after getting tagged for eight runs and eight hits, including three homers, in 3 1-3 innings of a 20-2 loss to Philadelphia.

"I felt good," Wellemeyer told the team's official Web site after Thursday's contest. "(My) fastball felt good. I got a hold of my slider in about the fifth inning. I still need to work on the changeup. ... I felt like I was rushing on a few. I'm still working on getting my delivery back to where I want it. But my arm and my elbow felt fine."

Now, Wellemeyer will try to help the Cardinals (48-36) win a fourth consecutive game after they beat the Mets 7-1 in Monday's series opener behind Kyle Lohse, who gave up one unearned run in seven innings.

Wellemeyer has no record with a 5.06 ERA in four games - one start - against New York (40-42).

The Cardinals are hitting .310 with 15 homers over the last 10 games, and Albert Pujols has been a big part of that since returning from the disabled list Thursday.

Pujols, who had two hits and two RBIs on Monday, is 9-for-19 (.474) with one homer and five RBIs in the last five games after missing 13 with a strained left calf.

The All-Star first baseman is third in the NL with a .357 batting average while hitting a team-high 17 homers and driving in 47 runs.

Aaron Miles has also been swinging a hot bat, going 3-for-5 on Monday to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. The second baseman, batting .434 (23-for-53) during his current run, had a career-high 14-game streak with Colorado from June 30-July 19, 2005.

The Mets have scored six runs in their last four games - three losses - after posting a 15-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

Carlos Delgado spurred that impressive victory, going 3-for-5 with two homers and a franchise-record nine RBIs. However, he's 1-for-13 with a solo homer in four games since.

"We didn't do too much of anything right," Mets interim manager Jerry Manuel said after his club managed seven hits and three errors Monday. "We didn't do too much defensively, we didn't do much offensively."

The Mets purchased the contract of Tony Armas from Triple-A New Orleans on Monday with plans to start him on Tuesday.

Armas was 5-7 with a 2.54 ERA in New Orleans after signing a minor league contract in February. He was 4-5 with a 6.03 ERA in 15 starts and 16 relief appearances last season with Pittsburgh.

The right-hander pitched well for the Mets' top affiliate, going 5-7 with a 2.54 ERA in 17 starts. He's 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA in his last five games - three starts - against St. Louis.