Pittsburgh Pirates Crushed by Ike Davis and Mets
By Matt Shetler
To finish above .500 for the first time since 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to win seven of their remaining 1o games. Those odds seemed near impossible anyway considering how the Pirates have played the final two months of the season, winning only 16 of their past 53 games.
Sep 24, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kyle McPherson (60) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PREWIRE
Those odds got much worse for the Pirates Monday night after New York Mets’ first baseman Ike Davis clubbed a pair of homers and drove in five runs to lead the Mets to a 6-2 victory.
Kyle McPherson started ffor the Pirates and only lasted 4.1 innings, putting up zeroes in the first three frames before surrendering a three-run bomb to Davis in the fourth.
McPherson was pulled with one out in the fifth, but Jeff Karstens came on and allowed an RBI single to David Wright and a two-run shot to Davis to make it 6-0.
Jennry Mejia got the start for the Mets and just like any other average major league pitcher, he had success against the Pirates’ lineup, allowing only four hits in five innings of work.
The Pirates had a runner reach third base in each of the first three innings, but as has been the trend lately, the Bucs couldn’t get a hit with runners in scoring position, until it was too late.
The Pirates runs came in the eighth inning when Andrew McCutchen tripled and came home on an RBI single off the bat of Garrett Jones and in the ninth when Jose Tabata singled home Michael McKenry.
Winning Pitcher: Jennry Mejia (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Kyle McPherson (0-2)
Save: None
Home Runs: Ike Davis (29, 30)