Mets Series Review: Hanging On The Plank

The New York Mets' ten-and-a-half-game lead is completely gone, as they are now virtually tied with the Atlanta Braves. The Mets were able to keep their first place perch with a needed doubleheader sweep of the Pirates as they hope that the bats can wake up as they continue a stretch against bad teams. The Braves, meanwhile, never lose, sweeping the Oakland Athletics, as the Mets hope their three-game losing streak to the Nationals and Pirates does not end up costing them the division title as they have a half-game lead (zero in the loss column) with less than one month left to the start of the postseason. 

Coming off two horrific losses to the Washington Nationals, the Mets began their series with the Pirates with a rainout, as a precaution was used in the scheduled afternoon game on Labor Day in Pittsburgh. Even though they could have played, the Mets hoped the day off would benefit them as they played on fumes. The Mets took another blow as Starling Marte was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken finger that sidelined him for the remainder of the series. Taijuan Walker got the start and developed a blister while giving up four runs on six hits in five innings. 

The Mets would get a two-run home run by Brandon Nimmo but continued to come up feebly as the Pirates shut down the Mets the rest of the way. The Mets watched the game get away as Bryan Montes de Oca and Tommy Hunter, pitching in the eighth inning, were lit up with a home run by O'Neill Cruz into the Alleghany River as the Pirates won the game 8-2, as the Atlanta Braves moved into a first-place tie. 

The Mets and Pirates played a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday. In the afternoon game, the Mets played in front of a sparse crowd and got an early run as Jeff McNeil had a sac-fly in the first inning. Chris Bassitt got the start and gave the Mets what they needed, pitching seven innings while allowing one run on five hits. Bassitt added ten strikeouts with one walk. The only run that Bassitt allowed was a home run by Tyler Heineman. 

In the fourth inning, the Mets got a much-needed boost from Tyler Naquin, who blasted a three-run home run. Eduardo Escobar made it back-to-back with a solo shot that made it 5-0. The Mets would win the game 5-1, as Seth Lugo pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout. 

The Mets had Jacob deGrom on the mound for the nightcap as the bats rose from their slumber, scoring ten runs without a home run. The Mets benefited from the inability of Johan Oviedo to throw strikes, scoring four runs in the second inning. The first run scored on a walk to Brandon Nimmo. The second run scored on a wild pitch, while Francisco Lindo had a two-run double. The Mets would have six doubles in the game, with Mark Canha and Lindor each having two. Lindor's second double came in a three-run fourth as the Mets began to pull away from the Pirates. The Mets added two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to beat the Pirates 10-0, as every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit. 

Jacob deGrom, with ten runs, earned his fifth win on the season. The game started on a sour note for deGrom as the first two Pirates recorded hits. He founded his groove by getting Rodolfo Castro to ground into a double play. For the remainder of the game, deGrom allowed one hit as he overcame early struggles with his slider to pitch seven innings, with eight strikeouts and one walk, as the Mets ended the day with a half-game lead as they continued to get no help as the A's rolled over again when playing the Braves.