Mets Take Series From Pirates As Bats Erupt In Finale

 

Francisco Lindor lacing a two-run single in the second inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets cruised to an 8-3 win over the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field, as Pete Alonso made some history, DJ Stewart hit a pair of home runs, and Francisco Lindor had two RBI.

This concludes a ten-game homestand in which the Mets went 5-5. It started a week ago when they took two of three from the Chicago Cubs, then lost three of four to the Atlanta Braves over the weekend, and concluded it by winning two of three against the Pirates, which leaves their record at 55-66.

The Mets jumped out to an early lead in the second inning against Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. Stewart put them on the board with a solo shot with one out before Omar Narvaez doubled and Rafael Ortega walked. Then, after Jonathan Arauz struck out, Brandon Nimmo drew a walk to load the bases. Lindor followed with a single to left field to bring in Narvaez and Ortega to make it 3-0 Mets.

Pittsburgh responded in the top of the third against Mets starter Tylor Megill, as Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled and Bryan Reynolds followed with a two-run homer. 

The Mets got one of those runs back in the fourth when Ortega doubled and came in to score on an RBI single from Nimmo that made it 4-2 Mets.

Then, in the fifth, the Mets flashed the leather, starting with Arauz, who was at third base in this one, going to his right to snag a Bryan Reynolds hit along the line and fire across to get him by a step.

Then, Andrew McCutchen walked and when Jack Suwinski doubled into right field, he tried to score from first base on it. Stewart dug it out of the right field corner, fired the relay to second baseman Jeff McNeil, and he fired a strike to the plate to nab McCutchen easily.

In the bottom of the fifth, Stewart followed up that stellar defensive play with another blast to right field, a no-doubter, for a two-run shot that opened up a 6-2 lead for the Mets.

Then, in the seventh, Alonso joined the party when he blasted one to left field for a solo shot, his 36th of the season, and that put the Mets up 7-3 at the time. More importantly, that was his 469th career RBI, and that puts him in sole possession of 10th place on the Mets' all-time RBI list, passing fellow first baseman Keith Hernandez.

For the season, Alonso remains third in the Majors in home runs, behind Atlanta's Matt Olson (43) and the Angels' Shohei Ohtani's 41. He now has 89 RBI, which is tied for fourth in the Majors with Houston's Kyle Tucker. Olson leads the way with 107 RBI, dollowed by Texas' Adolis Garcia's 91 and Atlanta's Ozzie Albies, who has 90. 

Tylor Megill pitching to Bryan Reynolds in the third inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

Megill got the win, his first since June 16, exactly two months ago, as he went five innings, and allowed two runs (both earned) on five hits and four RBI, with five strikeouts. He is now 7-6 on the season, with a 5.53 ERA. This was Megill's third start since he returned after a five-week stint in the minor leagues.

Carlos Carrasco pitching to Henry Davis in the first inning Monday night. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets opened the series with a 7-2 win on Monday night, as they got home runs from Daniel Vogelbach, Jonathan Arauz, and Brandon Nimmo.

After Pittsburgh took an early 1-0 lead, Alonso tied it in the bottom of the first with an RBI double, which had him tie Keith on the Mets' all-time RBI list.

They took the lead on Vogelbach's homer in the second before a Ke'Bryan Hayes double in the top of third tied it.

Jeff McNeil had an RBI single in the bottom half of the third before Arauz's two-run homer in the fourth put them up 5-2.

Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Mets in this one, but only went three innings, in which he allowed two runs (both earned) on four hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. 

Tyson Miller relieved him and he went two innings, in which he did not allow a run or hit, worked around a pair of walks, and did not have a strikeout. Since he was the pitcher of record through five innings, with the Mets ahead, he earned his first win of the season (1-0). 

On Tuesday night, the Pirates took the middle game of the series, 7-4, as they put up six runs in the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie at the time.

Nimmo hit a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the first, his 17th of the season, and Pittsburgh's Liover Peguero responded with a solo home run of his own in the second.

That would be the only run Mets starter David Peterson would allow, but he labored through 3 1/3 innings, in which he scattered three hits and six walks, with five strikeouts and threw 91 pitches.

Jose Butto relieved Peterson, and he hung around until that fateful seventh inning, which he opened by walking Andrew McCutchen and allowing a double to Connor Joe. Butto then struck out Henry Davis, but walked Peguero to load the bases before exiting.

Grant Hartwig then came on for the Mets, and he walked Jack Suwinski, which forced in a run, then Jared Triolo took a hit-by-pitch to force in another run, and a passed ball by catcher Francisco Alvarez (they're becoming more common) brought in Peguero to make it 4-1 Pirates.

Jason Delay then laced a two-run double to right field, and Bryan Reynolds tripled to bring him in to put the Pirates up 7-1. The Mets got a few runs back in the bottom half of the seventh, as DJ Stewart hit a two-run homer and Jonathan Arauz followed with a solo shot to cut it to 7-4, and that would be the final.