NEW YORK • A game decided by Kyle Lohse's double trouble and the Cardinals' double plays took an unexpected turn toward the nostalgic in the ninth inning.

That was worth a double take.

Resurrected as a reliever in Queens, former Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen pitched a perfect ninth inning for the Mets to wrap up a 4-2 victory Tuesday at Citi Field and claim his 294th career save. Isringhausen's first save of the season, his first save opportunity as a fill-in for traded Francisco Rodriguez, was also his first save since his last for the Cardinals. That came on Aug. 1, 2008. Stuck seven shy of 300 regular-season saves for almost three years, Isringhausen did not allow a ball out of the infield as he inched closer to the milestone.

"A little nerve-wracking," Isringhausen said. "Nerves are good, though. If I'm not nervous, I don't want to be out there. I was nervous in the eighth, but a little more nervous in the ninth, especially against the Cardinals."

The Mets built a lead for Isringhausen to preserve by strafing starter Lohse for 10 hits and collecting a season-high five doubles. The Mets' four runs came on two-run doubles by Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called the score "a little misleading" because of all the opportunities the Mets scattered and missed throughout the game. The revival came with the returns Tuesday of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran from injury and illness, respectively. Beltran reached base in all five of his plate appearances, and his two walks were part of both Mets rallies.

That was enough for rookie Dillon Gee, who held the Cardinals to two runs in his seven innings. Gee (9-3) came into the game as a blank slate, known only to the Cardinals through video. Similar to Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson earlier this month, Gee riddled the Cardinals with lack of familiarity and a beguiling changeup. He took a no-hitter into the fifth and left few pitches over the plate, one of which was launched to a point beyond the home bullpen for a home run by Lance Berkman.

"It was just a mistake. He didn't make many," Berkman said. "Offense is fickle. ... You've got to get some breaks. You've got to catch a guy on the off night. He didn't really walk anybody. They played good defense. They didn't make an error. So there really were no openings that we could take advantage of."

Lohse (8-7) offered plenty.

The Cardinals righty, who has won only one of his past eight starts, pitched around trouble in every inning. By the time he retired Gee with two on to end the fourth inning, the Mets had stranded six, including five in scoring position, without Lohse allowing a run. The righty said he spent his time over the break in "conserve mode" and returned to his normal schedule in time to throw a bullpen session three days before Tuesday's start. He pointed to the fly outs as much as the doubles as hints of his flatness.

"I was dodging a lot of stuff," Lohse said.

The Mets finally exploited Lohse's generosity in the fifth when he walked Beltran to load the bases with no outs. A batter later, Pagan lofted a double over the reach of Berkman in right to upend the 1-0 lead Lohse had created with a two-out RBI single in the fifth.

Beltran proved particularly problematic for Lohse. The switch-hitting outfielder, back from the flu Tuesday, has reached base by walk or hit in 33 of 51 plate appearances against Lohse. In the first inning, Lohse, aware of the numbers, snapped a curve ball at Beltran. The Met doubled. In the third inning, Lohse went low and away with a fastball. Beltran doubled.

That made it curious when La Russa left Lohse out to face Beltran with one on and two out in the sixth. Lohse had to get out the guy he couldn't get out to stay in the game. If Beltran reached base, the Cardinals bullpen was ready to take over. Beltran walked, chasing Lohse from the game after 5 2/3 innings. Daniel Murphy then cracked a double off lefty Raul Valdes to drive in the Mets' final two runs. La Russa said Lohse had "earned" the chance to face Beltran and keep the 2-1 deficit.

"It's tough," Lohse said. "You get older, you get a little smarter. He's one of those guys I guess I'm going to make up a knuckleball or something crazy to get him out. You go into it, you know the situation, and he's not going to be the guy that's going to make it happen."

The Cardinals had a crack at tying the score or taking the lead in the eighth when they loaded the bases against reliever Bobby Parnell. They even had the ideal hitter up: Albert Pujols.

The Cardinals' first baseman grounded into a double play, his second of the game and his 22nd of the season. Pujols leads the NL in double plays, and both he and the Cardinals could take a run at single-season records. The NL record is 32 for a batter, and the 1958 Cardinals hit into a record 166 as a team. The Cardinals have 103 in 96 games, 26 more than any other NL club. They are on pace to ground into 174 double plays.

"We swing hard," Berkman explained. "It's not like we're Ichiro, where we're four steps down the line when we make contact. If we hit the ball on the ground with a guy on first base, it's probably going to be a double play. That's just all there is to it. It's a tradeoff."

Said La Russa of the double plays: "We've got a lot of them."

The last one ended the eighth with the tying run stranded and brought Isringhausen in to face the middle of the Cardinals' order. He struck out David Freese for that familiar finish - just against the team he did for as the Cardinals' all-time saves leader.

"It was different," he said. "I have so many ties over there."