This was everything you expect from two teams playing out the string: young players, bad pitching, poor fielding and a lot of scoring. Pirate gloves betrayed them as the squandered an early 5-0 lead.
The Pirates jumped out in front in the third. Mets rookie starter Jenrry Mejia left with a shoulder issue with one out in what turned out to be a one run third inning. That lone run coming on a Jose Tabata sac fly. Reliever Raul Valdes was hit hard in the fourth. Garrett Jones led off the fourth with a single. He scored on a triple from Pedro Alvarez. John Bowker followed with a double and it was 3-0 Buccos. Chris Snyder drew a one out walk. Pirates starter Paul Maholm dropped down a successful sac bunt and Andrew McCutchen delivered a two out single with Snyder scoring on a close play at the plate.
The Pirates gave it all back and then some in the home half of the fourth. The trouble started with one out. Carlos Beltran and David Wright singled. Ike Davis doubled in Beltran. Nick Evans walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Mike Hessman drove in one and kept the bases loaded witha singled. Ruben Tejada grounded to Alvarez at third. He threw home for the force play, but somehow Snyder managed to drop the ball. Everyone was safe and two runs scored. A grounder from pinch hitter Joaquin Arias to Cedeno was botched allowing hessman to score with the tying run. One out later, Angel Pagan delivered a two out, two run single to give the Mets a lead they wouldn’t surrender. After Beltran followed with his second hit of the inning, Maholm was pulled for Chan Ho Park who left unscathed.
Jose Reyes homered off Daniel McCutchen in the six to push the lead to three. Ryan Doumit delivered a two out pinch hit double in the eighth to pull the Pirates to within two runs. Andrew McCutchen led off the ninth with a homer off Hisanori Takahashi. But he rebounded to retire the next three Bucs without incident.
Maholm got the loss. He gave up seven runs (two earned) in 3-2/3 innings. He gave up seven hits and two walks and struck out one. Mejia left after 2-1/3 and was charged with one unearned run. Valdes go the win in relief. He gave up four runs in 1-2/3 inning. Takahashi picked up the save.
The Good
McCutchen had two hits and three RBI. Cedeno and Bowker each had two hits.
The Bad
The Rest
This was Mejia’s first appearance against Pittsburgh. Maholm falls to 3-3 against the Mets.
In his first start after the All-Star break, Maholm tossed a complete game shutout against Houston. In eleven starts since then he is 1-8 with an ERA over 8.00.
Neil Walker is 0-10 since his batting streak ended.
After an eight RBI August, McCutchen has ten RBI in September.
Chris Leroux tossed his second straight scoreless inning.
