The New York Mets picked up a needed 3-1 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
The Mets and Pirates were stuck at 0-0 entering the fifth inning. Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana had done a good job of neutralizing Pittsburgh’s offensive attack, but coughed up an RBI single off of Bryan Reynolds’ bat before having his number called for the day.
Middle of the Mets’ batting order broke the game open in 7th inning
Trailing 0-1, the Mets put together a dominant seventh inning at the plate. Pete Alonso smashed a single to center field with Francisco Lindor on, pushing him to third base.
Joey Wendle came up big with an RBI double to left on the next play, bringing Lindor home. After Alonso scored on a balk, Jeff McNeil proved to be reliable when it mattered, connecting on an RBI double to left field. He made it a 3-1 ball game, where it would stay until the game concluded.
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Mets bullpen comes through in the clutch
Jorge Lopez and Drew Smith went to work in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Lopez forced two ground outs and struck out Jack Suwinski as he protected New York’s two-point lead. He landed in the strike zone on roughly half of his pitches and the smile he wore on his face as he walked off the mound following his 96 mph sinker to end the inning told the story of his work on the day.
Smith was sharp in the top of the ninth. He struck out Rowdy Tellez, the first batter he faced. Then, he topped out at 95 mph on his four-seam fastball in his five-pitch series against Cruz, who fouled out to third. Smith reached 95 mph twice more when retiring Davis. He made Davis chase his slider, which was low and away and sealed the win.
The Mets improved to 9-8 on the 2024 MLB season. They’ve now won three straight games and four of their last five. They’re improving upon their early season woes, though Alonso did struggle at first base, missing a diving catch on Reynolds’ grounder between first and second base.
The Mets will look to make it four in a row when Luis Severino takes the mound against the Pirates on Wednesday night.