FInal Score: Pirates 7, Mets 3 — Magic Wandy beats muggle Mets

Shaun Marcum got through the first inning all right, but the Pirates blitzed him for three runs in the second. Add in a Garrett Jones three-run home run in the fifth and a solid pitching performance from Wandy Rodriguez, and the Mets were struck with a 6-0 deficit that was too steep to overcome.

Marcum left before finishing the fifth inning, which made him the first pitcher in Mets history to fail to reach five innings pitched in each of his first three starts with the team. Anthony Recker and Jordany Valdespin each hit solo home runs, but the Mets' hitters struggled mightily when they actually had runners on base.

Despite the snoozing nature of the game, the Mets actually mounted a minor rally in the ninth that probably made some pessimistic Pirates fans sweat a little bit. Jose Contreras stayed in the game long enough to get the tying run into the on deck circle, but Clint Hurdle finally brought on Jason Grilli to shut the door on the Mets.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Steve Sypa; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.