Walk-Off Grand Slam Hands Mets a 9-7 Loss to Pirates

It was once again heartbreak for the New York Mets against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Like the last game before the All-Star break, the Mets blew another multi-run lead against one of the league’s worst. New York held leads of 6-0 in the eighth and 7-5 in the ninth but could not get the job done, ultimately falling 9-7  courtesy of a walk-off that came on Jacob Stallings‘ grand slam. 

The Mets had several chances to draw first blood during the game’s first three innings. In the first inning, Brandon Nimmo got on via a four-pitch walk, but after a 360-foot fly ball to the gap, Nimmo was doubled up after a bad read. In the second inning, J.D. Davis got his first hit back from the injured list but Dominic Smith grounded into a 4-6-3 double-play. Michael Conforto would double off a weakly hit ball away from the shift, but the Mets once again could not come through as James McCann grounded out to the third baseman to end that inning.

This theme followed into the third as Pete Alonso grounded into the Mets’ second double play in the game’s first three innings, stranding Luis Guillorme at third.

Tylor Megill worked around some first-inning trouble after a lead-off double courtesy of All-Star Adam Frazier. In the third inning, things got a bit hairy, as after an Alonso error the Pirates had a man on first and third with two outs. Luckily, Davis made a very nice play and Alonso was just able to keep his foot on first base to keep the game scoreless.

The Mets once again got the leadoff man on for the fourth straight time in the fourth inning. Fortunately, they finally made Pirates starter Wil Crowe pay as Davis took a 93 mph fastball to straight-away center field to put the Mets on top 2-0 after four.

After a scoreless fifth, the Mets struck again in the top of the sixth thanks once again to Davis. This time, Alonso lined a 111.6 mph missile to center field for a single to set the table. Davis then followed that with a 402-foot shot deep into the right-field bleachers of PNC Park. This spelled the end for Crowe. He allowed four runs and six hits over 5.1 innings.

Megill’s day also came to an end, albeit a much better on than Crowe’s, after six splendid innings. The rookie right-hander threw 93 pitches and lasted six innings, each of which are career highs. He only struck out two but did not allow a run while scattering six hits. Overall, through his first five starts, Megill has an ERA of 2.63 and a total of 28 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. He is one of four Mets pitchers (Tom Seaver, Doc Gooden, Steven Matz) who posted an ERA of 3.00 or lower and registered 25 strikeouts or more through their first five starts. It is safe to say, Megill has been a type of savior for the Mets so far this season.

New York was not done putting up unanswered runs yet, as in the seventh Travis Blankernhorn lined a 395-foot double off the top of the left field fence in the gap. In doing so, he drove Luis Guillorme home from second. Jeff McNeil also drove a run in later in the inning on a beautiful piece of hitting that beat the shift through the left side. This against Pirates’ relief pitcher Kyle Keller. 

Trevor May came in for the Metropolitans and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He was under a bit of siege as the Pirates were able to get two one. However, May got Frazier to fly out and Ke’Bryan Hayes to strike out looking on a pitch that was a tad outside. 

Seth Lugo was called on to pitch the eighth and ran into some trouble of his own. After the first two men got on, John Nogowski hit an RBI single, then Gregory Polanco walked to load the bases. After getting two outs, one of which drove in a run, Wilmer Difo once again bit the Mets by hitting a pinch-hit, three-run home run to bring the Pirates within one, 6-5. Lugo was pulled after that bomb, only pitching two-thirds of an inning, allowing three hits and five earned runs, while walking two. Aaron Loup came in and finished the inning off thanks to a terrific double-saving, diving play by Alonso at first.

Nimmo launched a 105 MPH home run to straight-away center that landed right inside the top of the “R” in the bushes at PNC Park. This, what the Mets thought would be an insurance run at the time, came against Pirates’ reliever Clay Holmes who just entered the game. Coincidentally enough, Holmes went on to be the pitcher who was credited with the win.

Edwin Diaz entered the game in the ninth and hit the first batter he faced and walked the next. After striking out Gamel, Nogowski struck again, singling to load the bases. Diaz was able to strike out Polanco to get the Mets one-out away from victory. What followed next, felt all too similar to what the Mets have been dealing with lately.

Jacob Stallings came to the plate and hit a 346-foot fly ball that had an expected batting average of .030, per Baseball Savant. This hit ended being a walk-off grand slam that barely got out close to the foul pole in left-field. It ultimately vaulted the Pirates to a comeback 9-7 victory.

This is the second straight save Diaz has blown. After the game, Diaz was just as surprised that the ball left the park as the rest of us, as he said after the game, “I couldn’t believe it cleared the fence. I thought it was a fly ball.”

The Mets have now lost three games in a row to Pittsburgh, and have seen their division lead shrink to below three games. If things do not turn around fast, the Mets may start to find themselves in a world of trouble.

The Mets (47-42) and Pirates (36-56) will end their three-game series tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET. This will also be the final game in the season series in which the last-place Pirates lead 4-2. The expected pitching matchup tomorrow: Taijuan Walker (2.50 ERA) versus JT Brubaker (4.47 ERA).