The Pittsburgh Pirates came up short on Friday night against the New York Mets, falling by a 4-3 score in the second game of their four-game weekend series in the Big Apple.
Mitch Keller started for the Bucs, falling to 5-11 on the season while giving up three runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Taijuan Walker improved to 12-4 for the Mets, lasting 7.1 innings while giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits. Edwin Diaz earned his 30th save of the season.
The Mets scored the game’s first run on a RBI single by Tomas Nido, scoring Eduardo Escobar. Daniel Vogelbach’s 17th homerun of the season came in the fourth inning, increasing their lead to 2-0.
Pittsburgh cut the Mets’ lead in the half in the fifth inning. Michael Chavis singled home Ke’Bryan Hayes to make it a 2-1 score. But New York answered with runs in the sixth and seventh innings to push the lead to 4-1. Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly came in the sixth, and Brandon Nimmo’s RBI single turned out to be the game-winner.
Oneil Cruz hit his 16th homerun in the top of the eighth, a two-run shot to center field, but that was as close as they would get. Diaz came in with an out in the eighth and shut the Bucs’ down.
The Bucs battled hard in this one, but came up short. The Mets are one of the very best teams in the game, and they are a difficult team to beat, especially at home. The two teams will take the field in third game of the series on Saturday night. Bryse Wilson will take the mound for Pittsburgh against Chris Bassitt for New York.
Record vs. Mets: 1-4
Record vs. N.L. East: 9-24
Record on the Road: 27-47
Overall Record: 55-90
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
