NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathon Niese struck out a career-high 10 in six scoreless innings and the New York Mets shut down the slumping St. Louis Cardinals for the third straight game, getting a homer and three RBIs from rookie Kirk Nieuwenhuis in a 6-1 victory Sunday night. Andres Torres added a two-run triple and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Nieuwenhuis, batting leadoff, also had three hits. Niese (4-2) became the latest New York pitcher to dominate the Cardinals, following Johan Santana’s no-hitter in the series opener Friday night — the first in Mets history — and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey’s seven-hit shutout Saturday. The only thing that prevented the Cardinals from being blanked in three consecutive games for the first time since October 1976 was a two-out RBI single by Adron Chambers in the eighth off Elvin Ramirez, who was making his major league debut.