NEW YORK – For the fifth consecutive game, the Pirates found themselves in a one-run game. Unfortunately, they were on the losing end as the Mets won, 2-1, at Citi Field on Tuesday night, Pittsburgh's third loss in that stretch.
Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller was solid, lasting seven innings and striking out a season-high eight batters.
It was that seventh inning where he ended up losing his fifth game of the season. With two outs and the score tied at 1, Brett Baty hit a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his fifth home run of the season, giving New York the one-run lead.
“He was fantastic,” catcher Henry Davis said about Keller. “Everything was dancing. When he is at his best, he can do a lot of different things with the ball. I felt from the start of the game, he was on top of everything. It was fantastic to see.”
One thing can be said about Pittsburgh’s pitching staff: It is not the reason the team is off to the fourth-worst start in its history at 14-29. In fact, Pirates starters have pitched to a 2.28 ERA in their past eight games dating back to May 5, the fifth-best mark in the Major Leagues during that span.
The biggest problem for the team is the offense. Entering Wednesday’s series finale against New York, the Pirates are 27th in MLB with a .219 batting average. Against the Mets on Tuesday, Pittsburgh had its worst night of the season with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-13.
Where to begin when it comes to the struggles in the batter’s box?
The Pirates had Mets right-hander Kodai Senga on the ropes throughout the game, starting in the second inning. After Ke’Bryan Hayes tripled with one out, he was stranded when Alexander Canario popped up to Baty at second base and Jared Triolo struck out to end the threat.
In the fourth, the Pirates had runners on first and third with no outs. But Senga managed to strike out the side.
“You can’t take anything away from Senga,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “... That fourth inning – with his forkball and the command of the fastball – he pitched well that inning. We had the guys but couldn’t get them in.”
The futility in the batter’s box became agonizing by the ninth inning. With one out and Mets closer Edwin Díaz on the mound, the Pirates had runners on second and third, but Bryan Reynolds struck out looking and Joey Bart ended the game by grounding out to second baseman Luisangel Acuña.
After the game, Kelly acknowledged that the Pirates’ lineup wasn’t clicking.
“We have to find a way to get those runs in because [Keller] did a great job,” Kelly said.
One position player who is not producing is Reynolds, who is 5-for-49 [.102] in May. It’s not the Reynolds the Pirates are accustomed to. He is a guy they rely on to drive in runs.
The team had a talk with Reynolds before Tuesday’s game, and it is thinking about sitting him down for a game.
“As we go forward, what’s the plan? There have been discussions,” Kelly said. “Ultimately, nobody feels worse than Bryan does right now. Being in that situation, going up there and grinding it out, he wants to come through and find a way to slow it down and get back to the Bryan Reynolds that we all know.”
The Pirates are now 2-3 since Kelly took over the managerial reins. He doesn’t sound like a man who is frustrated. There is a reason for that – the team is giving him 100% effort.
“The way we are competing right now, the way we are going after it, yes, we need to get the runs in when they are on third,” Kelly said. “It’s not for a lack of effort on these guys' part. We need to find a way to do it. When we get a pitch to hit, make it happen.”