Bucs Sweep Mets 9-1 On Frankie's Arm and HRs By Cutch & Starling

Today we saw the Frankie we're used to seeing - six strong innings, giving up one run on six hits with two walks and 12 K, tossing 112 pitches, picking up his second win of the campaign with a 9-1 win against the Mets.

It was actually nip-and-tuck for awhile. Liriano had stranded Mets on second and third in the second frame with three straight whiffs to squelch NY's first opportunity, and the game was tied 1-1 going into the Pirates' fifth..

The Bucs scored first when Jordy doubled home Fran Cervelli with a shot off the LF wall, and Wilmer Flores tied it with a two-out ground ball single in the fifth. It was a key inning for Frankie, though, as he left the bases filled with Mets without allowing any more damage.

In the Buc half, Pittsburgh took command. JT drew a walk and Cutch cashed him in with his second homer in two days, another shot into the bullpen. Cervelli's two-out single plated Jung-Ho Kang, who had walked and moved up on a bounce out, and ticketed Jon Neise for a trip to the showers with Pittsburgh up 4-1.

Gregory Polanco came off the bench to collect a pair of hits (photo via Baseball America)

Reliever Erik Goeddel gave up a Gregory Polanco single and intentionally walked Cutch to get to Starling Marte. Might want to rethink that; Marte blasted a changeup into the left field stands to run the lead up to 7-1. A frame later, with sean Gilmartin on the hill, Cervelli banged his third knock of the game, Mercer walked and Polanco's infield single loaded the sacks. Josh's sac fly and PH Corey Hart's knock made it 9-1.

The Bucs broomed the Mets and hope to keep the good times rollin' tomorrow against the Miami Marlins, with Charlie Morton facing David Phelps.

• The 10 strikeouts rung up against the Mets by Gerrit Cole & AJ were the most against the Mets this year, until Frankie topped them with 12 today. It's the first time since 1969 that Buc pitchers have whiffed 10+ batters three games in a row when Bob Veale, Bob Moose and Dock Ellis turned the trick.
• Josh ran his hit streak to 11, the longest of the year for a Bucco to date. Jung-Ho kept on keepin' on, too, stretching his hitting streak to seven games. Fran Cervelli had three hits, Cutch and El Coffee had a pair, and Jordy had a day to build on with a double and two walks.
• The attendance of 37,784 was the fourth sellout of the season and second straight of the series.
• Andrew Keh of The New York Times featured Jung-Ho Kang in his article today.
• The Bucs are expecting to announce just what the second opinion on Nick Kingham's elbow is next week; seems odd that it takes three weeks for a determination.
• Casey McGehee was DFA'ed by the Giants today.
• AJ isn't the only guy that adjusted his pitching style as time rolled on; Tim Healy of Sports on Earth wrote that Tim Lincecum made the same switch.