Long Balls Lead Mets to 4-2 Win As Bucs Strand 12

The Bucs went down in order to Robert Gsellman. A leadoff walk haunted Tyler Glasnow two outs later when Neil Walker got a 3-1 fastball and dropped it over the fence to make it 2-0, That was followed by a double before Ty closed out the frame. Pittsburgh got one back on a J-Bell dinger in the second and stranded a knock and a walk behind him with Glasnow at the dish with two gone. Tyler gave up a single to the pitcher but no other damage. Fraze and J-Hay opened the third with singles and Gregory's chopper tied the game. Didn't stay that way for long; Jay Bruce got enough of one to just send it over the wall, barely escaping Cutch's effort to pull it back in. A walk followed, but a strike 'em out, throw 'em DP pulled the plug. With one gone in the fourth, Jordy & Elias were on the corners after raps but Ty and Fraze couldn't cash them in. The Mets kept up the attack with Wilmer Flores opening with a long fly off a hung curve; then the next three NY'ers K'ed.

The long ball bit Tyler tonight (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

The Pirates went down routinely in the fifth; the most action was a Freeser helmet slam after looking at strike three. A leadoff Met walk was erased an out later via the ol' 4-6-3 DP to keep it at 4-2. Cutch walked with an out in the sixth and Jordy's knock sent him to third. Fernanda Salas took the ball as Gsellman was at 109 pitches and blew (if that's the right word for an 89 MPH fastball) a very hittable heater past Diaz. Jose Osuna hit for Ty and flew out. It's true the chances have presented themselves at the bottom of the order, but still the Bucs are 1-for-9 w/RISP after six. Johnny Barbato took the hill and got into immediate hot water by giving up back-to-back opening knocks. Two whiffs around a pop up cooled the pot. Jerry Blevins took his turn in the seventh. With two away, Gregory got aboard on a bad throw and Freeser singled but J-Bell looked bad, striking out by chasing three straight ankle-biter curves, the last one in the dirt.A two-out walk by Barbato reached second on a passed ball, be he left him there.

Addison Reed claimed the bump in the eighth and Jordy smacked a two-bagger with one away. Eli battled aboard with a walk and JJ grabbed a stick. Jaso got ahead 3-0, but finished the at-bat with an infield-fly pop, getting under a heater. Fraze bounced out and another rally fizzled; both he and JJ got pitches to hit but couldn't damage the ball. Wade LeBlanc answered the phone and tossed a clean frame, helped by nice grabs by Frazier and Harrison. J-Hay opened the ninth with a knock. Gregory flew out, Freeser lifted one to the track that was hauled in (he's hit a couple on the nose today with no luck, but that may be a *knock on wood* sign that's he's shaking off his slump), and J-Bell hit one sharply but right to short.

Freeser had a hit and a couple of loud outs (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Just another of those frustrating days - 10 hits, 12 runners stranded, 1-for-12 w/RISP. Waste a couple of crucial at-bats, miss a couple of meatball pitches and that's the result. The rubber match is tomorrow afternoon with Trevor Williams on the hill v Tyler Pill.

Notes:

• Jordy had three hits, Elias Diaz had a pair with a walk, J-Hay had two knocks and Cutch walked twice.
• Neil walker has seven homers; three have come against the Bucs in a five day span.
• Jameson Taillon will make his next rehab start for Indy on June 7th with an 85-90 pitch goal. That lines him up in Chad Kuhl's rotation spot. Hard to believe that JT may be *this close* to getting back into action; the kid is Marine Corps tough.