In the everyday world, a second chance can be a life-saver.

Or, in the case of Shawn Green and the Mets, a game-winner.

After pulling a potential game-winner home run just foul, Green straightened out his swing and launched a full-count pitch from Russ Springer high off the scoreboard in right-center to give New York a 2-1 extra-inning victory over the Cardinals on Monday night at Shea Stadium.

Carlos Gomez also homered for the Mets, who won their fourth straight game and seventh consecutive regular season contest over St. Louis.

Jorge Sosa bounced back from two poor outings, limiting the Redbirds to one run and six hits over six innings, walking two while striking out five. The right-hander came into the game having surrendered 13 runs – 11 earned – over nine frames.

Just acquired Mike Maroth turned in a gem in his Cardinals debut, holding the Mets to just a run on two hits and two walks over 7 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old struck out four and tossed 59 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

New York took a 1-0 lead in the second when Gomez, who like Green narrowly missed a home run two pitches earlier, smacked his second longball into the bleachers in left.

St. Louis tied the game in the fifth by playing some old school, National League baseball.

Adam Kennedy and Gary Bennett opened the inning with singles before moving up on Maroth’s sacrifice bunt. So Taguchi, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a double in the third, grounded out to second to plate Kennedy, tying the game, 1-1.

After Sosa worked out of a two-on jam in the sixth, St. Louis blew another prime chance to take the lead in the seventh off reliever Joe Smith. Bennett worked a leadoff walk and after Maroth failed in two attempts to get a sac bunt down, the pitcher swatted a grounder past a drawn-in David Wright for a single.

With Wright again in expecting the bunt, St. Louis executed a double steal to put runners at second and third. Smith, however, got Taguchi to ground to Valentin at second for the first out before striking out Aaron Miles.

Albert Pujols was walked intentionally and Pedro Feliciano was brought in to face Scott Spiezio, who grounded back to the mound for the final out.

Smith, Feliciano, Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman combined for five scoreless innings in relief for New York.

Ryan Franklin pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings for St. Louis before giving way to Springer (3-1).

Heilman (6-3) picked up the win, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work.

After securing their fifth four-game winning streak of the season, the Mets (42-32) will look to win five straight for the first time in the second game of their series with St. Louis. Oliver Perez (7-6, 3.16) will take the mound on Tuesday, squaring off against the Cards for the first time since Game 7 of last year’s NLCS. The left-hander has just one victory over his last five starts (1-3) and is coming off a 5 1/3, four-run outing in a 6-2 loss to the Twins last Wednesday at Shea. Perez has faced St. Louis 11 times in his career and owns a 2-5 mark along with a 4.83 ERA.

The banged-up Cardinals (33-40) will look to avoid their third consecutive loss and eighth straight against the Mets in the regular season. Todd Wellemeyer (2-1, 6.65) gets the call for his sixth start of the year and first against the Mets. Although the 28-year-old has not lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his starts, the Cardinals offense has supported him with an average of 8.6 runs per game, winning all of those outings. Wellemeyer owns a 9.62 ERA over 5 2/3 innings in three career relief appearances against the Mets.

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