Final Score: Pirates 8, Mets 1 — Parnell blows another one

A rough seventh inning led to yet another Mets loss to the Pirates, this time by a score of 8-1, squandering six innings of one-run ball from Matt Harvey. While the offense certainly deserves some blame for failing for the third straight night to get anything done against a mediocre starting pitcher, this loss falls squarely on the shoulders of Bobby Parnell. Parnell was victimized by some confusion in the middle infield and a passed ball, but he was awful regardless, walking two and allowing two hard hit singles.

Parnell, who also blew the first game of the series, should probably not be in a contender's bullpen and should certainly never see a high-leverage inning. He now has a 5.12 ERA, a 4.82 xFIP, and more walks than strikeouts in his 19.1 innings since returning. The Mets certainly have better options available, be that Logan Verrett, Erik Goeddel once his rehab assignment is over, or even Josh Smoker, who is currently dominating Double-A competition. Whether or not the obvious move to replace the weakest link of the bullpen is made remains to be seen.

The loss caps off a brutal series for the Mets. Met hitters went a combined 0-15 with runners in scoring position over the three games, scoring all but one of their six runs on home runs.  Additionally, the sweep completes the second season sweep of the Mets by an NL Central team.

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