Contradicting the later stages of the game, the first five innings were a breeze as both Sean Manaea and Slade Cecconi cruised through five easy scoreless innings. Both kept relatively low pitch counts, especially Manaea, who was at just 57 through five frames.

But as Mets fans know, the sixth inning has not been kind to Mets starters this year. It was no different in this game, as the sixth inning was nothing short of a nightmare. Manaea faced eight batters and only retired two of them. Steven Kwan led off with a single to right field before Ángel Martínez was hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt. José Ramírez then flied out to right, putting runners on the corners with one out. That’s when things started to get out of hand.

A Manaea wild pitch nearly brought home Kwan from third, but Kwan opted to stay at the base while Martínez advanced to second. Manaea then surrendered three straight hits, two singles and a three-run homer off the bat of Gabriel Arias, to put the Guardians ahead 5-0 after entering the inning in a scoreless tie. Manaea then struck out Nolan Jones before allowing a single to Brayan Rocchio, ending Manaea’s night.

Through five innings, it appeared a near certainty that Manea would become the first Mets starter not named David Peterson to complete six innings in almost two months, but a blowup of epic proportions saw him exit the game just one out shy of that mark. In all, he allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings, watching his ERA balloon from 2.08 to 3.52.

Cleveland’s starter Cecconi was equally as strong as Manaea through five innings. He didn’t allow a run, even working out of a runner-on-second, no-out scenario in the fifth. Like Manaea, though, Cecconi also faltered in the sixth, but not to the same extent and not entirely by his own doing.

Francisco Lindor reached base to lead off the inning on a strikeout and wild pitch before Juan Soto grounded a ball that got by the second baseman for an error. With runners on first and third and no outs, Pete Alonso socked a three-run homer to left-center field to get the Mets back within two. It was the 251st home run of Alonso’s career, putting him just one behind Darryl Strawberry‘s club record. The Mets couldn’t add on further, however, as the next three batters went down in order.

Tyler Rogers and Reed Garrett each pitched a relatively easy scoreless inning in the seventh and eighth to keep the Mets within striking distance. The Mets were unable to get anything going in the seventh but jumped all over Hunter Gaddis in the eighth.

Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil started off the inning with four straight singles, scoring a run and loading up the bases with no outs. Mark Vientos hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Cedric Mullins nearly gave the Mets the lead, but a great defensive play kept the game tied, and it stayed that way into the ninth.

Edwin Díaz faced immediate trouble in the top of the ninth as he allowed a leadoff single, a stolen base, and an advance to third on a throw that made it to center field. With the Guardians threatening to take the lead right back, Díaz—coming right off a National League Reliever of the Month award for July—induced a strikeout, a popup, and another strikeout to strand the runner at third and give the Mets a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the inning.

Francisco Alvarez started the bottom of the ninth with a single off Cade Smith, promptly being removed from the game so Tyrone Taylor could pinch-run for him. Brandon Nimmo struck out for the fourth consecutive plate appearance before Francisco Lindor ripped a line drive double into right field. Taylor was held up at third, though there’s a chance he could have made it home safely to win the game. Juan Soto was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting up Pete Alonso to put an end to one of the best games of his career. Alonso worked a 2-2 count but struck out on a high fastball before Jeff McNeil hit a soft liner to the shortstop to put a sudden end to the game-ending threat.

José Ramírez was intentionally walked in the top of the 10th to put runners on first and second with no outs and Ryan Helsley on the mound. Disaster ensued when David Fry dropped down a bunt and Brett Baty sailed the throw to second wide and into the outfield, scoring a run and putting runners on second and third with still nobody out. A sacrifice fly gave the Guardians a massive insurance run, putting them ahead 7-5 as the game turned over to the bottom of the inning.

The first two batters of the inning, Mark Vientos and Cedric Mullins, both hit the ball hard, but both at-bats resulted in outs. Brett Baty then singled home Jeff McNeil, the ghost runner, to get the Mets back within a run. However, with Francisco Alvarez having been removed from the game, Luis Torrens was next up to bat with the game on the line. Torrens took a couple of pitches before skying a fly ball to deep right field, very close to the wall, but it ultimately fell short and was caught for the final out.

One of the most exciting wins of the season quickly turned into one of the worst losses of the season. It is the Mets’ sixth loss in their last seven games as they are now 1.5 games out of first place in the National League East.

Player of the Game

Pete Alonso had a fantastic game despite not coming through with a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth. He went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and three singles, totaling four RBIs on the night. With almost the entire top of the lineup slumping before the past few games, Alonso appears to be fully back.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series with the Guardians Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.45 ERA) will look to give the Mets a rare lengthy outing, while Logan Allen (7-9, 4.06 ERA), coming off a really good start against the Rockies, will take the mound for Cleveland. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Mets’ Thrilling Comeback Attempt Ends in Agonizing Extra Innings Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The Mets took on the Marlins at Clover Park on Friday night. Carlos Carrasco took the mound for New York while Miami’s number one prospect, Eury Pérez, got the start for the Marlins.

Carrasco experienced issues with the PitchCom device in his cap to start the game, receiving a pitch clock violation and ultimately walking the leadoff batter Garrett Hampson after getting ahead in the count 0-2. Hampson subsequently stole a base and was driven in by a Jerar Encarnación double to make it a 1-0 game.

After not getting anything going offensively in the first two innings, the Mets were able to tie up the game at one apiece in the bottom of the third. Brandon Nimmo ripped a triple down the right field line and scored on a wild pitch that got past Jacob Stallings behind the plate.

Carrasco settled in nicely after giving up the first-inning run. In the top of the fourth inning, he struck out the side, which finished his outing. Through four innings, Carrasco gave up the one run on two hits and a walk and struck out seven in a very impressive performance.

Pérez, however, could not rebound from the run he gave up in the third as the Mets attacked him in the bottom of the fourth. Daniel Vogelbach singled, Mark Canha doubled, and Darin Ruf reached on a catcher’s interference to load the bases with no outs. Then, Luis Guillorme hit a bases-clearing double to give the Mets a 4-1 lead and chase Pérez out of the game.

Huascar Brazobán came on in relief for Pérez but he was unable to limit the damage, giving up two more runs on a walk and a Starling Marte sacrifice fly, making it a 6-1 game.

On the next play, though, the Mets’ scoring outburst would be the last thing on Mets’ fans minds. Nimmo, while sliding into second base, appeared to jam his knee and looked to be in serious pain. He stayed down on the ground for a period of time before getting up and limping off the field under his own power. During the game, the Mets tweeted that Nimmo left the game with ankle soreness and will receive imaging on Saturday.

While the Mets offense couldn’t get much going for the rest of the game after this inning, neither could the Marlins. Jeff Brigham appeared in relief in the top of the fifth inning and struck out two Miami batters batters. Staying on for the sixth, Brigham struck out another batter but left the game with two outs after surrendering two walks. Needing one out to end the inning, Stephen Nogosek came on in relief and got Austin Allen to line out to the shortstop.

John Curtiss appeared in relief in the eighth inning for the Mets and, after walking the leadoff batter, induced a ground ball double play and another ground ball out to escape the inning relatively easily. T.J. McFarland came into the game in the ninth and worked around a couple of infield singles to close the door on the Marlins giving the Mets the victory.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Player of the Game

Luis Guillorme earns player of the game honors in this one. He impressed in tonight’s game, going 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs. His bases-clearing double in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Mets a lead that they wouldn’t let up. He added an opposite-field single in his next and final at-bat of the day, displaying his ability to hit to all fields which he has done so well the past few seasons for the Mets.

On Deck

The Mets head to The Ballpark of The Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach to face the Astros on Saturday night. Max Scherzer will be facing Framber Valdez. The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

The post Guillorme, Carrasco Impress as Mets Defeat Marlins 6-1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Max Scherzer took the bump for his second start of the spring on Friday afternoon against the Nationals. Former Met Trevor Williams started the game for Washington in his first action against the Mets since leaving in free agency this past offseason.

Scherzer and Williams both avoided trouble through the first two innings. Scherzer retired all six batters in order while the ball never left the infield. Williams gave up a leadoff Mark Canha single in the first but would avoid trouble as he also retired the next six in a row.

Scherzer’s success in the first two innings, however, would not repeat itself in the third inning which was a brutal one for the Mets. Ildemaro Vargas led it off with a weak infield single and advanced to second base on what was ruled a balk when Scherzer threw a pitch to Victor Robles who was in the batter’s box but was not ready for the pitch. Scherzer later expressed confusion over why this was called a balk. Robles wound up reaching base on a rare Luis Guillorme error.

Max Scherzer was confused about being called for a balk on this play:

"He calls time, I come set, I get the green light. I thought that was a clean pitch. He said no. We gotta figure out where the limit is." pic.twitter.com/nx1P2cI9Jt

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 3, 2023

Vargas scored on a fielder’s choice and Robles was driven in by an Alex Call single before Luis García hit a two-run homer to right field to make it 4-0. It seemed as though the inning was finally going to end but Guillorme almost unbelievably committed another error on a routine ground ball that went under his glove.

After giving up another hit, Scherzer was relieved by David Griffin who himself gave up two more hits and a hit-by-pitch before finally ending the nightmare inning by striking out CJ Abrams. In all, the Nationals put up eight runs in the inning to make it 8-0. Seven runs were charged to Scherzer but none of them were earned due to the errors.

The Mets’ attempt to rally began in the bottom of the inning when José Peraza hit a two-run homer to cut the deficit to six, however Edwin Díaz allowed the Nationals to add another run in the top of the fourth on a fielder’s choice.

The Mets’ rally restarted itself in the bottom of the fifth inning when Tomás Nido hit an opposite field homer off of Carl Edwards Jr. Edwards was unable to recover as he subsequently loaded the bases, allowing Jeff McNeil to drive in a pair of runs on a line drive up the middle. A Daniel Vogelbach sacrifice fly brought the Mets to within three runs before the Nationals were finally able to put the inning to rest.

In the top of the sixth, the Nationals once again responded to the Mets’ rally with a Luis García RBI single to make it 10-6. Elieser Hernández limited the damage by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Hernández stayed on in the seventh to pitch to Francisco Álvarez who relieved Tomás Nido, getting his first action behind the plate this spring. Hernández threw a quick eight pitch inning including two strikeouts to end his outing. In total, Hernández threw 15 of his 16 total pitches for strikes. John Curtiss followed up Hernández’s 1-2-3 inning with one of his own, striking out one and retiring the side in nine pitches.

Ronny Mauricio improved upon his already impressive spring with a check swing double in the bottom of the eighth, his only at-bat of the day. Mauricio’s OPS this spring is now up to 2.056. Francisco Álvarez was unable to drive him in, however, as he struck out to end the inning.

Yasel Antuna launched a solo home run off William Woods in the top of the 9th and the Mets went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to give the Nationals an 11-6 victory.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Player of the Game

José Peraza is the Mets’ player of the game in this one, as he impressed by going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer. Peraza will provide solid infield depth for the team this year, though he likely won’t be counted on to have much of an impact on the major league team as he did in 2021.

On Deck

The Mets head to Jupiter on Saturday to face the Miami Marlins. Justin Verlander will get his first action in a Mets uniform with the start, while the Marlins will be sending out lefty Jesús Luzardo. First pitch will be at 1:10 p.m. and it will be on MLB TV via the Marlins. 

The post Scherzer, Defense Struggle as Nationals Defeat Mets 11-6 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

José Quintana took the mound for his spring training debut against the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Looking to display his All-Star stuff, Quintana struggled against the 2022 World Series Champions.

After getting Kyle Tucker to fly out, Quintana’s rough day started with Jake Meyers. The Astros centerfielder doubled against the Mets’ left-hander, which began the barrage of extra-base hits in the inning. José Abreu and Korey Lee followed with run-scoring doubles of their own, bringing the score to 4-0. David Hensley provided the finishing blow, hitting a two-run home run off the batter’s eye. Buck Showalter then pulled Quintana, who allowed four hits, five runs, and one walk over 2/3 innings.

The Mets bullpen took over from there, providing four scoreless innings in a row. Troy Miller pitched 1 1/3 innings, recording a strikeout due to Yainer Diaz failing to get into the box on time. After Miller, Edwin Díaz pitched a scoreless third inning, striking out two batters on 17 pitches. Adam Ottavino came into relief for the fourth inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam after allowing a single and walking two batters.

The Mets started their attempt at a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, on the back of a player trying to make the MLB roster. Misael Tamarez walked Eduardo Escobar and Omar Narváez to start the inning, setting the stage for DJ Stewart. The former Oriole drove in Escobar with an opposite-field double, driving in the first Mets’ run of the day. With Nick Meyer—who replaced Narváez after walking—on third, Jeff McNeil grounded out to advance Stewart to third and bring the score to 5-2. The Mets weren’t finished in the third inning, and Francisco Lindor singled to right field to bring home Stewart, which cut the deficit to 5-3.

The Mets bullpen continued their scoreless effort after the offense scored three runs. Jeff Brigham, Zach Greene, and Eric Orze all looked solid, walking three and striking out four batters over three scoreless innings. However, the Astros broke away from the Mets in the top of the eighth against T.J. McFarland.

Jordan Brewer started the inning with a long home run off McFarland to increase the Astros’ lead to 6-3. McFarland settled down and recorded two outs, but had trouble finishing the inning. Scott Schreiber singled to right field to extend the inning, leading to Cesar Salazar‘s two-run home run, which brought the score to 8-3. In total, McFarland—a non-roster invitee—allowed three runs in the frame.

After the Astros added three runs in the bottom of the eighth, the Mets’ top prospects showed some fight. Ronny Mauricio started the inning by walking and advanced to second base after Tim Locastro was hit by a pitch. Brett Baty followed with a single up the middle to drive home Mauricio, which cut the deficit to 8-4, however the scoring stopped there, and the Mets fell to the Astros. They’re 2-3 this spring.

Prospect Watch

Mauricio and Baty continued their stellar spring training performances against the Astros on Tuesday. Baty singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth, bringing his spring training batting average to .571. Mauricio walked and scored a run, raising his spring training OPS to 1.762.

On Deck

The Mets play again on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins. The game will be at Roger Dean Chevrolet in Jupiter, Florida, and can be listened to on FOX 940 AM. The game will not be televised.

The starters for Wednesday’s game are Tylor Megill and Sandy Alcantara.

The post Quintana Struggles in Spring Debut, Astros Defeat Mets 8-4 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The World Series finally came to an end on Saturday night. The Houston Astros defeated the Cinderella Philadelphia Phillies in six games. The Astros, who were arguably the best in team in the regular season (outside potentially the Los Angeles Dodgers), earned their second World Series in franchise history (2017 being the first). Meanwhile, the Phillies end their terrific season just a tad short.

When you look at the series overall, besides one home run heavy game, the Astros showed to be the far superior team. If it was not for a five-run comeback by the Phillies in a 10-inning Game 1, led by J.T. Realmuto (2-for-4, 3 RBI), the Phillies could have gone home trailing by two games. As in Game 2, Houston responded in a big way, marching to a 5-2 victory thanks to a three-run first inning and a splendid game by Framber Valdez (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 9 SO).

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 looked like it might have been a huge turning point. The Phillies pounced on Lance McCullers and rocked him for five home runs (most home runs against a starter pitcher in World Series history) and seven runs. Ranger Suarez held the Astros off the board and the Phillies took a 2-1 series lead with two more games coming in raucous Philadelphia.

Luckily for Houston, they were able to once again respond and take both remaining games at Citizens Bank Park in the series. Game 4 was the Cristian Javier show as he went six-hitless innings while striking out nine. He was sensational and the Astros’ bullpen added three more hitless innings behind him as Houston no-hit the Phillies in Game 4. This was only the second-ever no-hitter in World Series history.

The Astros then won a 3-2 pitchers’ duel in Game 5 where Justin Verlander outperformed Noah Syndergaard and the Phillies’ bullpen. The Astros brought back a 3-2 series lead to Houston heading into a potential-clinching Game 6.

Led by Framber Valdez, once again, the Astros clinched their second World Series title. Valdez pitched six strong innings and was supplemented by a mammoth sixth inning three-run home run via Yordan Alvarez.

450 FEET FOR THE LEAD 😱 #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/v5p1vWNkU0

— MLB (@MLB) November 6, 2022

Alvarez’s bomb cleared the batter’s eye in center field and flipped the game from a 1-0 Phillies’ lead to a 3-1 Astros’ advantage. Houston hung on and cruised to a 4-1 Game 6 victory.

After the game, rookie-sensation Jeremy Pena was named World Series MVP. Furthermore, future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker finally got to celebrate a World Series title. It was also great to see cancer-survivor Trey Mancini get his first ring as well. In all, the 106-win Astros dominated the postseason, going 11-3 and sweeping their first two series against the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.

As for the Phillies, it was a terrific run for a team several counted out before they snuck into the third Wild Card spot with an 87-75 record. They swept the St. Louis Cardinals before surprisingly bouncing the National League champion Atlanta Braves in four games. Lastly, they defeated the Padres in five before falling to the 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros. Despite the loss, a sensational, and surprising season for the Phillies.

The post World Series Recap: Astros Defeat Phillies In Six Games appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Francisco Alvarez, Photo by Richard Nelson

On August 2, 2022, the New York Mets traded J.D. Davis along with prospects Carson Seymour, Thomas Szapucki, and Nick Zwack. for then San Francisco Giants 1B/OF/DH Darin Ruf. It was a trade widely panned at the time due to the prospect overpay. However, this is the type of trade where if the Mets won the World Series no one would really care about the overpay.

The converse to this is naturally the overpay is highlighted when the player struggles. This is why teams typically will not admit a mistake and do everything they can to try to make the trade work. If they can get just one big hit or a small hitting streak, they can point to that to say they didn’t completely mess up. What most teams don’t realize is that player struggling mightily only makes the trade worse because the player not only struggles, but they also inhibit a team’s chances of winning.

Things with Ruf actually started great. In his first Mets plate appearance, he hit a pinch hit double. The problem is Ruf has done absolutely nothing after that. In 28 games, he is hitting .152/.216/.197 with three doubles and seven RBI. It is not hyperbole to say the Mets have gotten more from him as a pitcher (two scoreless innings in a blowout loss) than they have as a position player.

DARIN RUF HITS A TWO-RUN DOUBLE IN HIS METS DEBUT! pic.twitter.com/xsR9dvTGXS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 6, 2022

Part of this was probably the Mets fault. They took a player who played semi-regularly, and they asked him to be a pure bench/platoon option. Unfortunately, Ruf was not suited for the role. Make no mistake, this was an unforced error and a complete gaffe by the Mets. They gave it a little less than two months before admitting defeat and investigating their other options.

Mets teams of old play and lose with Ruf. This Mets team doesn’t care about how their image and competency are adjudged. They know that will solely be defined by winning the World Series. The Mets saw Ruf would’ve hindered those chances. Instead, the Mets needed to pursue other options who would give them a better chance to win.

First, it was Mark Vientos. In Oakland, it did seem like he was figuring things out. He hit his first Major League homer. He was cutting down on the strikeouts and taking better at-bats. The thing is he had chances in his last game in big spots, and he didn’t deliver.

Mark Vientos showed off his sweet swing on his first MLB homer for the @Mets! pic.twitter.com/EHZ917VXGK

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 24, 2022

We have seen enough from Vientos to see he is going to be a power hitter at the Major League level. In his minor league career, he has shown the ability to make adjustments and thrive at the plate. However, with the Mets waiting so long before calling him up to the majors, he might not have that time he needs to get comfortable, adjust, and thrive before playing in the postseason.

With that in mind, the Mets called up Francisco Álvarez, the player Keith Law dropped a Mike Piazza comparison on before the season. Certainly, with the 27 homers, Álvarez has backed that up. Mets fans have been waiting for this since Álvarez said in spring training his goal was to make it to the majors this season. He probably would’ve made it sooner if not for that ankle injury.

Francisco Álvarez against left-handed pitching this season:

.315/.424/.595

pic.twitter.com/f0XbFJXSmg

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) September 30, 2022

Right now, it seems Álvarez is here to DH in one game and be available as a pinch hitting option. While Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer were complimentary of his work behind the plate, a team that is going to win and lose the World Series based on their pitching cannot sit James McCann and Tomás Nido, who are exceptional framers.

No, for now, this is a one-shot deal. Álvarez is here to DH. He is here because Ruf couldn’t do the job. He is here because the Mets are still unsure if Vientos can do the job. Mostly, he is here because this Mets team will not be defined by their mistakes. Instead, they will be defined by winning.

The post Mets Admit Defeat with Ruf in Calling Up Álvarez appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (91-55) defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates (55-90) for a second consecutive night at Citi Field. The Mets got great pitching from the combo of Taijuan Walker and Edwin Díaz.

Friday night’s game started as a pitchers duel between Walker and Mitch Keller. Walker breezed through the first three innings and did not allow a base runner until Rodolfo Castro singled with two outs in the fourth inning.

The Mets were able to get to Keller in the third inning when Eduardo Escobar scored from first on a Tomás Nido single. Nido’s RBI single ended Keller’s 17-inning scoreless streak that started against the Mets on Sept. 6 and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.

New York added another run off of Keller in the bottom of the fourth inning when Daniel Vogelbach launched an opposite-field solo home run to give the Mets’ a 2-0 lead. With this home run, Vogelbach ended a streak of 44 at-bats without a home run.

The Pirates were able to scratch out a run off Walker in the top of the fifth inning behind a defensive miscue and a pair of soft singles. With two runners on and nobody out, Michael Chavis would bring home Ke’Bryan Hayes with a weakly hit single that did not leave the infield to cut the Pirates’ deficit in half at 2-1.

The Mets’ offense would stay persistent against Keller and add one more run in the sixth inning. With runners on the corner and one out, Pete Alonso brought home Brandon Nimmo on a sacrifice fly to center field to increase the Mets’ lead to 3-1. That would be all for Keller, who ended the night allowing three earned runs in six innings pitched.

New York would add to their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Pirates had their own defensive miscues. With runners on the corners, after Escobar doubled to lead off the inning and Oneil Cruz booted a Nido ground ball, Nimmo would drive in a run with a pop-up base hit to increase the Mets’ lead to 4-1.

Walker was on the cusp of a brilliant night and went back out to the mound for the top of the eighth. Cruz, however, would end Walker’s night after he launched a two-run home run to cut the Pirates deficit to 4-3. Walker’s start against the Pirates went better at home, and he finished the night with five strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings pitched and only two earned runs allowed.

Buck Showalter would call upon his closer, Edwin Díaz, for a five-out save. The Mets closer proved reliable once again, striking out two batters through 1 2/3 innings pitched. The scoreless outing for Díaz lowered his ERA to 1.43 on the season and notched him his 30th save for the season.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game

Díaz earned Friday’s player of the game honors. The Mets closer recorded a five-out save to cement the Mets in first place for tonight. It was his third save this year of at least five outs for Díaz.

On Deck

Chris Bassitt (13-8, 3.44 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday for the Mets. Bassitt will look to bounce back after giving up five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs.

Pittsburgh will counter with Bryse Wilson (3-8, 6.03 ERA) this Saturday. Wilson recently faced the Mets on Sept. 7 and gave up four earned runs in six innings.

The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET and will be available on SNY, WCBS 880, and WEPN.

The post Mets Defeat Pirates 4-3 Behind Díaz’s Five-Out Save appeared first on Metsmerized Online.