Pittsburgh Pirates Get Walked Off By The Mets In 10 Innings

The Pittsburgh Pirates were walked off by the New York Mets on Tuesday night

4. 3. Final. 3. 4

On Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets played the second game of their three-game series from Citi Field. Unlike the series opener on Monday night, the Pirates were defeated by the Mets in game two.

Following the Mets’ 4-3 walk off victory the Pirates are now 37-42 overall on the season. This win also snapped a seven game losing streak for the Mets.

Two years to the day of his first career Major League start, Chad Kuhl made his 61st career start for the Pirates and 16th of the 2018 season.

Unfortunately for Kuhl and the Pirates, it got off to a rocky start. Five batters into the game the Mets held a 2-0 lead, however, Kuhl would settle in after this. Kuhl would retire 10 of the next 12 batters he faced before his night ended early.

Due to right forearm discomfort, Kuhl was lifted from the game after just 4 innings of work. In these 4 innings pitched Kuhl allowed two runs on three hits, two walks, and he struck out four.

New York starter Steven Matz was brilliant early on. Of the first 12 batters he faced the only one to reach base was Austin Meadows via a hit by pitch, and he was erased when Josh Harrison hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

David Freese singled to start the top of the 5th inning. Freese’s single was followed by an Elias Diaz double, and all of a sudden the Pirates were in business. Back-to-back base hits by Jose Osuna and Gregory Polanco brought home Freese and Diaz to tie the game at 2.

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After a pair of scoreless innings of relief from Richard Rodriguez, the Pirates break through to take their first lead of the game in the top of the 7th inning.

Matz missed on a 1-1 pitch to Polanco and appeared to grow frustrated. The suddenly hot Polanco then drove a 3-2 curveball from Matz over the right field wall. Polanco’s 11th home run gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead.

This Pirate lead would be short lived. Edgar Santana took over in the bottom of the 7th inning and after retiring the first two batters of the inning surrendered a solo home run to Michael Conforto. Conforto’s home run tied the game at 3.

Anthony Swarzak took over for the Mets in the top of the 8th inning and after walking Meadows and allowing a bunt hit to Harrison he was lifted for Mets’ closer Jeurys Familia.

Familia got Freese to hit into a fielder’s choice but then walked Diaz to load the bases with two outs for Osuna. Familia would get Osuna to groundout to second base to end the inning, stranding the bases loaded.

Kyle Cricked pitched a scoreless bottom of the 8th for the Pirates and Familia followed with a scoreless top of the 9th for the Mets. Steven Brault went on to retire the Mets in order in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the game to extra innings.

When the game rolled into the bottom of the 10th inning Brault remained on the mound for the Pirates. Brault walked Conforto to start the inning and allowed a single to Todd Frazier, putting the Mets in business.

Two batters later Wilmer Flores hit a ball off of third base umpire Brian O’Nora that dribbled into left field allowing Conforto to score the winning run.

Following the Frazier single Brault should have been lifted for Felipe Vazquez. Instead, Clint Hurdle managed for the save instead of managing to win the game and this came back to bite the Pirates.

Entering this game the Mets had lost 14 of their last 15 games at home. Despite this, the Pirates could not topple the Mets for a second consecutive day. The Bucs will now look to win the series against the Mets tomorrow night.

Next: Mitch Keller Continues To Dominate At Double-A

The third and final game of the series is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. from Citi Field on Wednesday night. Ivan Nova will look to continue his strong work since returning from the disabled list, while the Mets will counter with struggling righty Zack Wheeler.

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