8/14/23- By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on Twitter
Heading to Queens to face the Mets, pre-ordained World Series contenders in the spring with their bloated payroll and lofty contracts, looking at an identical 53-65 record as the Pirates prior to the game. While Pittsburgh’s season has been a bit of a let-down for fans following an electric start, the Mets certainly have not come close to their expectations. However, they looked every bit the dangerous squad tonight, besting the Pirates in essentially a blow-out.
Veteran Carlos Carrasco pitching for the Mets in the midst of a career-worst season and labored tonight. He lasted just 3 inefficient innings, 2 runs 4 hits, walked 3 and struck out 5. His mound opponent for the Pirates, Quinn Priester, managed to go 5 innings but surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
Bucs got the scoring started in the first inning. Bryan Reynolds walked on 4 pitches, Ke’Bryan Hayes continued his hot stretch since his return from the Injured List with a single to right and then Henry Davis hit a 2-out laser to center – 109.9MPH off the bat – to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
Mets would even the score in the bottom of the frame though. Brandon Nimmo singled and Pete Alonso doubled him home. Former Pirate Daniel Vogelbach slashed a 1-2 sinker to dead center for his 9th home run on the season.
Connor Joe led off the 3rd inning with a double and Hayes would double him home to tie the game for the moment but that was the end of their offense for the night as they would get just one more hit over the remaining 6 innings – a Liover Peguero infield single in the 6th.
Priester struggled to post a clean frame, however. Francisco Lindor singled to right, moved to 2nd on a ball that went in-and-out of Endy’s glove and he struggled to locate. Then, he got to third on a wild pitch, scoring on a 2-out Jeff McNeil single to left-center.
In the 4th inning, rookie Jonathan Arauz hit a 2-run home run (his first of his MLB career) off a 2-out, 1-2 fastball that ran middle-middle. McNeil drove in another run in the 5th inning via sacrifice fly and end Priester’s night.
Osvaldo Bido handled the remaining 3 innings and, outside of an 0-2, 2-out line-drive home run by Brandon Nimmo in the 6th, was able to settle in and provide stability for the team. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
News & Notes
- This was the 8th time since 1901 that the Pirates allowed at least one run in the first six innings – most recently on August 13, 2016 vs. the Dodgers.
- Priester allowed 14 batted balls with exit velocity of 90+ MPH.
- This was Priester’s 6th start with the Pirates and he has not allowed less than 3 runs in any of his starts.
- Davis’s single in the first inning was the hardest hit ball of his career (109.9 MPH).
- After the departure of Carrasco, the Mets bullpen of Tyson Miller, Sam Coonrod, Phil Bickford, Trevor Gott and Adam Ottavino pitched 6 innings allowing just 1 hit, 4 walks and striking out 6.
- Game two tomorrow night with dueling southpaws as Pirates starter Bailey Falter faces the Mets starter David Peterson. Start time is scheduled for 7:10PM. Let’s Go Bucs!
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