The New York Mets were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at Citi Field where the Mets lost the series finale a score of 8 to 1.
Matt Harvey wasn’t particularly dominating this afternoon, and he labored with baserunners in every inning despite only allowing one run on a solo shot by Pedro Alvarez through six innings of work.
Harvey allowed a walk and seven hits including a double, two triples, and a home run. But to his credit, he managed to bear down when he needed to and limited the Bucs to just one run in his 103 pitch effort. All in all, Matt Harvey got the job done.
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud got the Mets on the board with a solo homerun in the third inning. He also lined a two-out double in the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning with the game still knotted at 1-1, Daniel Murphy singled and Michael Cuddyer got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. It looked like the Mets were about to break the game open.
Then with the red hot d’Arnaud up at the plate… CRRACKKK!! BABOOM!!!
A bolt of lightning and an ear-shattering peal of thunder had d’Arnaud jump out of his skin and racing for the dugout as a giant deluge of rain poured onto the field.
With just the home plate umpire and the Bucs catcher standing alone at the plate, both wondering if the frightened Travis d’Arnaud was ever coming back, lol, the crew chief called for the tarp and the game went into a rain delay.
However after a 42 minute delay, and the hard-throwing Arquimedes Caminero on the mound for the Bucs, d’Arnaud struck out looking and Ruben Tejada hit a weak grounder to end the inning with two runners stranded.
Enter Bobby Parnell, who has been terribly ineffective since July 24. The veteran reliever walked the leadoff batter in the seventh to get things started. Then after inducing a comebacker to the mound, Parnell fielded it and threw it into centerfield because nobody was covering second base. Yeah, that happened.
So with runners on first and third, Gregory Polanco singled to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. A passed ball by d’Arnaud would bring in another run, and then after another walk by Parnell, Aramis Ramirez singled home the Bucs’ third run of the inning.
And for his second consecutive appearance in a row, Bobby Parnell left the mound to a chorus of boos.
The Force was not with the Mets at Citi Field.
Eric O’Flaherty came in to relieve Parnell, but was quickly greeted with a single to drive in the Pirates fifth run of the game. The next hitter hit a soft grounder to first but he was safe amidst the confusion of who was covering the bag. Finally and mercifully, O’Flaherty got the third out. 5-1 Buccos.
It was as ugly an inning as the Mets have had in an awfully long time, and it was painfully brutal to watch. The Pirates would go on to score 3 more runs.
New Rule: No more rain delays.
Bright Side: We’re done playing the Pirates who have outscored us 37-10 and swept the season series six games to none.
Sage Advice: Can we not play Michael Cuddyer at first base anymore?
Okay shake this this one off, boys…
The Mets will have the day off on Monday before beginning a short two-game series with the suddenly red hot Orioles in Baltimore on Tuesday. Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are the probable starters for the Mets.
