Pirates walk all over the Mets

Kodai Senga showed what good starting pitching could do for the Mets on Monday, and David Peterson showed what bad starting pitching could do as the Mets dropped a 7-4 game to the Pirates Tuesday night at Citi Field.

In atypical fashion, the Mets found an early lead thanks to Brandon Nimmo’s leadoff home run. It was Nimmo’s second-straight game with a home run and his seventeenth of the season, which matches his career-high. But because not all good things last, Liover Peguero tied the game at 1-1 with a leadoff home run in the top of the second inning.

Mets starter David Peterson struggled through his first three innings, allowing nine runners to reach base, five via a walk. It seemed like the Pirates had cornered him loading the bases with one out in the top of the third, but Peterson slithered out unscathed by striking out the next two batters. He faced three more batters in the fourth inning, but he was removed after 91 pitches through 3.2 innings.

Pirates starter Bailey Falter found a bit more success than Peterson, leaving after 82 pitches over 5.1 innings while striking out five and giving up one run on four hits. Mets batters couldn’t find any success off of Falter after Nimmo’s leadoff home run, though José Butto kept the 1-1 tie intact through the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

The trouble for the Mets came in the seventh, where a leadoff walk and a double from Connor Joe started a Pirates rally. Grant Hartwig came in to clean up Butto’s mess with the bases loaded and one out, but walked Jack Suwinski on four pitches, hit Jared Triolo, and threw a ball past Francisco Alvarez, allowing three runs on seven pitches without throwing a strike. Hartwig finally found the strike zone against Jason Delay, but Delay cleared the bases on a two-RBI double.

Bryan Reynolds expanded the lead with a soft liner to center field, which Tim Locastro misplayed on a dive and allowed to roll past him. Reynolds ended up on third with an RBI triple, and Hartwig mercifully exited the game with the Mets now down 7-1.

D.J. Stewart shortened the deficit with a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, marking his second home run of the season. One batter later, Jonathan Araúz hit his second home run of the season, cutting the Pirates lead to 7-4. Both home runs flew high and deep to right field, cascading through the night and bringing the crowd back into the game.

But that was all the offense the Mets could manage in the final two innings, and in the end the six-run deficit was too big to overcome. Mets pitchers struck out thirteen Pirates batters but also walked ten, setting their season high against an offensively challenged team. The Mets and Pirates will face off one last time tomorrow, with Tylor Megill scheduled to start against Johan Oviedo at 1:10 ET.

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Brandon Nimmo, +10% WPA

Big Mets loser: Grant Hartwig, -32% WPA

Mets pitchers: -25% WPA

Mets hitters: -25% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Brandon Nimmo home run, +10% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: Connor Joe double, -17.9% WPA