Gut Reaction: Pirates 5, Mets 4 (7/27/18)

Well, all good things must come to an end. Such was the case of the Mets’ miniature stab at respectability. Having won three in a row, they couldn’t get over the hump of a fourth as the Pittsburgh Pirates walked off with a win.

At first, it didn’t appear this would be the case. Stealing a page from the previous night’s contest, the Mets put multiple runs on the board in the first inning. Brandon Nimmo drew a one-out walk, Wilmer Flores hit a rope to right field for a hustling double. Michael Conforto hit an absolute bomb into the “upper tank” — as Keith Hernandez likes to say on the SNY cablecast — in right field and the Mets had an almost instant 3-0 lead off veteran starter Ivan Nova. Jason Vargas made those runs stand up for all of one inning. In the bottom of the second, Elias Diaz singled to left leading off and David Freese — remember that name — followed by launching a homerun of his own and suddenly the game was an uncomfortably close 3-2.

It stayed there until the fifth, when, with one out, Vargas walked Jordan Luplow. That was enough for Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who bounded out of the dugout to remove Vargas. Seth Lugo came on to retire Josh Harrison on a fly ball to right for out number two. That was his last biut of good news for the evening. Gregory Polanco singled and Diaz walked again. Freese then hit a bounder up the middle that no one could quite get to and the Pirates had a sudden 4-3 lead. They didn’t enjoy it for long, however. Nova started the sixth by walking Conforto and Jose Bautista in succession.. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle made a flurry of defensive moves, including removing Nova. Edgar Santana came on in relief, and couldn’t handle Jeff McNeil’s first-pitch bunt. Bases loaded, nobody out for the Mets. Kevin Plawecki struck out. Jose Reyes hit a sinking liner to left. Luplow made the diving catch, but made a poor throw to the plate as Conforto scored the tying run, Bautista and McNeil each moving up a base. Phillip Evans then pinch hit for Lugo and grounded out, ending the threat.

Not much else happened in the seventh, eighth or top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, though, the action was swift and terrible. Harrison hit an infield single leading off against Tim Peterson. Polanco then singled to right. Diaz was intentionally passed to set up the force all around. Freese — that man again — stroked a base hit up the middle for his fifth RBI on the night.

Cue the Gatorade.

Jacob deGrom takes on Trevor Williams on Saturday night at PNC Park.