The Mets opened up their four game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-2 loss on Thursday night at PNC Park.
Daisuke Matsuzaka started the game for the Mets and was tagged for five earned runs on five hits including a three-run homer by Pirates prospect Gregory Polanco. Dice-K didn’t have it tonight and was all over the place walking four batters, hitting one and throwing a wild pitch in his six innings of work. He could be heading back to the bullpen.
Carlos Torres relieved Matsuzaka and loaded the bases in the seventh, but managed to end the inning unscathed. Josh Edgin and Vic Black combined for a scoreless eighth.
Offensively the Mets tallied nine hits and a pair of walks, but only pushed two runs across the plate, one of them off the bat of Lucas Duda who blasted his 12th homer of the season. The Duder has four homers in his last seven games.
Oddly enough, everyone in the starting lineup had at least a hit or a walk in the game, but a pair of double plays and some snazzy defense killed a few scoring opportunities for the Mets.
The loss puts the Mets back to seven games under .500 and depending on the results of the Phillies vs Marlins game, they could be all alone in last place by the end of the night.
Jacob deGrom (1-4, 3.75) will try to get the Mets back on track Friday night at 7:05 PM and will be opposed by Bucs right-hander Brandon Cumpton (3-2, 4.93).
