Top 1: Forget what I said about Beltran having a weak bat. He hit a double but no one else had a hit.
Bottom 1: Mike Pelfrey is having a rocky first inning. He’s allowed two straight hits. Andy LaRoche hits a two-run single after an intentional walk to load the bases. Brandon Moss singles after the ball skipped off of Pelfrey’s glove and the Mets had no play. Bases loaded again, one out. Jason Jaramillo hits another two-run single. 4-0 Pirates. Pelfrey is getting rocked. What is it with the Mets playing Pittsburgh? Is it a curse? Ramon Vazquez hits bloop single. Bases loaded again! Ross Ohlendorf grounds out into double play. Inning over, finally!
Top 2: David Wright walks and steals second. Daniel Murphy singles, scoring Wright. Fernando Martinez singles, Murphy to third. Murphy thrown out at home on a ground ball by Omir Santos. Alex Cora hits a double, scoring Martinez, 4-2 Pirates. Luis Castillo gets an infield hit, scoring Pelfrey. 4-3. Beltran walks, bases loaded. Sheffield grounds out.
Bottom 2: Time for Pelfrey to settle down. With one out, Murphy commits an error on a hard-hit ball allowing Nyjer Morgan to reach third base. Adam LaRoche hits RBI double. 5-3 Pittsburgh.
Top 3: Wright walks. Mets clear the pitcher spot with no runs.
Bottom 3: Pelfrey has a much better inning, allowing only a single. He had two strikeouts.
Top 4: Beltran hits a two-out homer! 5-4 Pirates.
Bottom 4: Pelfrey walks two in the inning. Pelfrey hits Andy LaRoche, loading the bases with two outs. He just seems really off today. Pelfrey walks another batter, which scores a run. 6-4 Pittsburgh. Jaramillo hits a two-run single. Pelfrey is mercifully out of the game. 8-4 Pirates. Ken Takahashi in to relieve him. Vazquez hits an RBI single. 9-4. Takahashi strikes out the pitcher. Thank God for National League rules.
Top 5: Wright reaches base safely for the third time with a single. Martinez hits a double, scoring Wright. 9-5 Pittsburgh. Ohlendorf leaves the game. Emil Brown pinch hits and promptly grounds out. Nice debut.
Bottom 5: Sean Green pitches first 1-2-3 inning for the Mets.
Top 6: Mets also go quietly in order.
Bottom 6: Green pitches a second inning with the same result. His improvement is really starting to pay dividends.
Top 7: Murphy walks, but Wright is retired for the first time today.
Bottom 7: JJ Putz in to pitch. With one out, Vazquez singles. Vazquez steals second. With two outs, Andrew McCutchen singles, Vazquez scores. 10-5 Pittsburgh. McCutchen steals second. Apparently, holding runners on base is not part of Putz’s reclamation project. Morgan triples, McCutchen scores. 11-5. Looks like Putz has more adjustments to make.
Top 8: Mets go in order again.
Bottom 8: Pedro Feliciano comes in for Putz. He pitches a 1-2-3 inning. Putz, take note.
Top 9: Castillo walks. Castillo takes second on wild pitch. Beltran grounds out, Castillo to third. Sheffield pops out. It’s a bad day at the plate for Sheffield, going 0-for-5. Maybe he needs another day off. Wright doubles, scoring Castillo. 11-6 Hopefully, Wright is getting out of his funk. He’s 2-for-3 today with two walks. Murphy flies out.
Just like they did last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates have swept the Mets, this time in an abbreviated series. What’s troubling is the starting pitching. The Mets threw two of their best at the Pirates, and they were both beaten. Thank God for the Washington Nationals. They’re up next Friday. The Pirates are a weak team that the Mets should’ve beat up on, but the Mets seem to be cursed. The Nats are an even weaker team.
The Mets are now 3.5 games behind the Phillies, who could go up four games if they beat the Dodgers tonight. The Mets are in trouble and need to sweep the Nats again to have any shot of staying close to the Phillies. Let’s pray the Dodgers beat up on the Phillies. The Padres sure couldn’t.
