PITTSBURGH — The Mets bullpen is running on empty, and the lineup isn’t far behind.
After a strong stretch of games on both fronts in Milwaukee and San Francisco, the Mets have hit a Steel Curtain. Last night that meant flushing a solid performance from Carlos Torres in his first start of the season and losing their second straight, 4-2 to the Pirates before 39,173 at PNC Park.
The Mets (40-50) will try to end their road trip and first half on a positive note when Dillon Gee faces rookie Gerrit Cole in today’s series finale. Before last night the Mets hadn’t lost consecutive games on the road since June 2 and 4 against the Marlins and Nationals, respectively.
The Pirates seized control in the seventh with two runs, putting the Mets. Josh Edgin walked Russell Martin with the bases loaded after Andrew McCutchen’s RBI single off a diving David Wright’s glove had given the Pirates a 3-2 lead. Ike Davis booted Travis Snider’s grounder earlier in the inning, but the play was changed from an error to a hit, making both runs earned. But Davis also dropped a shaky throw from Wright on a Starling Marte line drive that could have completed a double play to end the inning.
McCutchen greeted David Aardsma with a homer leading off the sixth that made it 2-2. It was the second straight night McCutchen hurt the Mets bullpen. On Friday he walked leading off the 11th inning against Gonzalez Germen, stole second and scored the winning run on Jordy Mercer’s single.
Torres, who had last started as a member of the White Sox in 2010, lasted five innings and allowed one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander is scheduled to remain in the rotation after the All-Star break, taking Shaun Marcum’s spot.
Torres appeared on the brink of implosion in the fifth, having allowed a run on three hits in the inning, when Jose Tabata hit into a double play to kill the Pirates’ threat. Mercer’s RBI single pulled the Pirates within 2-1 after Garrett Jones smacked a leadoff double. Clint Barmes singled and Marte was later hit by a pitch to load the bases before Torres got the double play.
Ex-Yankee A.J. Burnett kept the Pirates in the game by allowing two earned runs on seven hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over 5 ²/₃ innings. Burnett, who entered 4-6 with a 3.05 ERA, received a second straight no-decision.
Marlon Byrd’s infield RBI single in the fifth extended the Mets’ lead to 2-0. Barmes double-clutched on the play, allowing Byrd to just beat the throw to first and Daniel Murphy to race home from third.
Eric Young Jr. singled leading off the inning and went to third on Murphy’s single, but was thrown out at the plate attempting to score on Wright’s grounder to third.
The Mets compensated for the base-running gaffe by executing a double steal, putting runners on second and third. Davis then whiffed for the second out before Byrd raced down the line for his RBI single.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ RBI double in the fourth produced the game’s first run. Byrd walked before Nieuwenhuis hit a shot into the right-center gap. But Burnett struck out John Buck and Torres to end the inning with a walk to Omar Quintanilla sandwiched in-between.