Queens, NY— Brett Baty delivered the big hit and the Mets’ bullpen shut the door as New York eked out a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Baty broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, sending a Mitch Keller changeup just over the left-field fence. It was Baty’s fifth homer of the season—and his fourth in his last four games since returning from Triple-A on May 5.
Brandon Nimmo gave the Mets an early lead with an RBI double in the first inning off Keller, who otherwise pitched a gem. The Pirates right-hander allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out eight over seven strong innings but dropped to 1-5 on the season.
New York starter Kodai Senga worked 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven while escaping trouble repeatedly. The Pirates had a runner on third base with less than two outs in the second, third, and fourth innings but failed to score each time.
Pittsburgh’s lone run came in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Henry Davis off Mets reliever Reed Garrett, but Adam Frazier followed with an inning-ending groundout.
The Pirates’ struggles at the plate continued—they went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base. They’ve now failed to score more than four runs in 19 straight games, the longest such drought in franchise history dating back to at least 1901.
In the ninth, a throwing error by Francisco Lindor gave the Pirates a shot to tie or take the lead, putting runners on second and third with one out. But Edwin Díaz struck out Bryan Reynolds looking and induced a groundout from Joey Bart to record his ninth save and preserve the Mets’ win.
Key Numbers:
Mets Home Record: 17-4 at Citi Field
Recent Dominance: 11 wins in their last 12 games vs. Pittsburgh at home
Baty’s Power Surge: 4 home runs in his last 4 games with a plate appearance
Up Next:
The series wraps up Wednesday night—weather permitting—with Mets right-hander Clay Holmes (5-1, 2.74 ERA) set to face his former team. Pittsburgh will counter with lefty Bailey Falter (2-3, 4.36 ERA).
