NEW YORK -- The Cardinals and Mets found themselves in a pitchers’ duel on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. It took 11 innings to settle the score as New York won the game, 4-2.

It was a game in which Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol couldn’t use his top three relievers -- JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley – because they had all pitched the previous two games. So, after Lance Lynn tossed five-plus innings, Marmol ended up using Ryan Fernandez, Giovanny Gallegos and Matthew Liberatore. If the Cardinals learned anything from this loss, it’s that they have depth in their bullpen. The trio pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned). All three runs came in the 11th.

“We trust all those guys. Today was a perfect example … of taking a game into extra innings with the score being what it was,” Marmol said.

After Liberatore entered the game in the eighth inning with two outs, he expected to be out there until it ended. In the 11th, he was one out away from St. Louis sweeping the series.

With the count 0-2 and the Cardinals leading, 2-1, with two outs, Harrison Bader singled to center field, scoring DJ Stewart and tying the score.

“I just missed the chase location. The pitch [a sinker] I wanted to throw, the pitch I was convicted in, I think it was the right pitch. I would throw it again if I was in that situation. I just didn’t execute,” Liberatore said.

Mark Vientos followed and, once again, Liberatore was one strike away from getting out of the inning. Liberatore was trying to get Vientos to chase a pitch high in the zone, but the latter hit a ball that went over the right-center-field fence and evaded the glove of center fielder Michael Siani by inches to end the game.

Despite the loss, Liberatore has found his niche in the bullpen. He was a candidate to be in the rotation during Spring Training, but the Cardinals decided that he would be more productive as a reliever, and he loves his new role. Liberatore is willing to take the ball every day, according to Marmol, and pitch more than one inning. Prior to Sunday, Liberatore hadn’t allowed a run over his last six innings.

“I feel good out there. My body feels good. My stuff feels good. I feel like I have a lot of confidence right now,” Liberatore said. “It’s really simplifying … everything. The process is routine. The mindset, when I’m out there, it’s allowed me to gain a better perspective of the game.”

Marmol would have loved to see the Cardinals reach the .500 mark for the first time since April 17. But he left Citi Field believing that he has a quality bullpen.

“It was a tough game,” Marmol said. “The guys played hard. It didn’t end up the way we wanted. We went into the 11th inning the way we did knowing that we didn’t have the back of the bullpen, but other guys stepped up and did an incredible job of keeping the game where it was.

“You definitely walk away with some positives. You are a strike away and you want to take that game. Libby did an incredible job even getting us to that point.”