JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Jon Niese struggled in his first spring start that was delayed by shoulder trouble, allowing four runs in two innings of the New York Mets’ 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. The Mets’ opening-day starter last season, Niese pitched until June before being sidelined by a partially torn rotator cuff. He returned in August, going 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA the rest of the way. He allowed six hits and walked two Tuesday.

The Cardinals tagged Niese for four runs in the second. Kolten Wong hit a two-run homer in the inning, hours after manager Mike Matheny expressed his support for the struggling second baseman. Fighting strep throat, Adam Wainwright made only one big mistake in 3 1-3 innings: Josh Satin hit a 2-1 pitch over the center field wall, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals are going to replay school. Manager Mike Matheny believes a contested play late in the Cardinals’ 9-8 loss to the Mets would have been overturned had the new review process used the same video feed the team saw so he’s planning on discussing the call with officials in the commissioner’s office. Matheny says he wants to get an idea of how the system will work under the established guidelines.

During the regular season, rulings under new expanded replay system will be made in New York. This spring, the league gas been testing it by using video trucks parked outside ballparks. Fewer television angles are being used for exhibition games. Umpires in Jupiter needed about two minutes to uphold a call on a play at third base.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs were quiet on the opening day of free agency, even as several players who were instrumental in their turnaround found big deals elsewhere. The Falcons agreed to five-year contracts with defensive tackle Tyson Jackson and offensive guard Jon Asamoah on Tuesday. Both of them were draft picks of former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who has since joined the front office in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert agreed to a five-year deal with the Dolphins, Pro Bowl punt returner Dexter McCluster was headed to the Titans and offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz agreed to terms with the New York Giants. The only move Kansas City made was to re-sign defensive back and special teams star Husain Abdullah. The Chiefs had earlier re-signed linebacker Frank Zombo.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Fran McCaffery says his 13-year-old son has a thyroid tumor. McCaffery says he learned of his son Patrick’s condition last week. A biopsy was performed on Monday and surgery has been scheduled for next week at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics — one day before Patrick’s 14th birthday.

The tumor has not been diagnosed as cancerous, and McCaffery says a further course of action will be determined once the mass is removed. McCaffery and his wife, Margaret, have three sons and a daughter.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is likely just days away from its first NCAA tournament berth in eight years, but that’s about the last thing on the mind of its fan base. They’re wondering what happened to their beloved Hawkeyes. Iowa finished the regular season in a freefall hardly anyone saw coming.

The Hawkeyes have lost five of their last six games — all after a postponement at Indiana altered their schedule — and closed with a brutal home loss to Illinois 66-63 on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes, once a trendy pick for a long run through the postseason, hope to start fresh on Thursday against Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament.

2-A State Tournament First Round

• Treynor 61, North Cedar 53
• West Fork 71, West Marshall 54

3-A State Tournament First Round

• Central Clinton 69, MOC-Floyd Valley 67
• Harlan 64, Humboldt 44
• Wahlert 81, Chariton 59
• Waverly-Shell Rock 67, Grinnell 58