NEW YORK — The Pirates followed a vexing loss in the opener at Citi Field with a blueprint 7-3 victory against the Mets on Friday night.
Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez disposed with the Mets’ lukewarm batting order for six innings, and cleanup man Garrett Jones started one three-run rally with a double and ended another with a replay-reviewed three-run home run. The result was the Bucs’ second victory in six games.
The victory could have been more easily achieved, but Jose Contreras allowed two runs in the ninth inning, prompting manager Clint Hurdle to summon Jason Grilli to close the game. Grilli faced one batter, retiring Ruben Tejada on a fly ball to center, to earn his 14th save.
Rodriguez won for the first time in four starts, beating one of his favorite opponents, and Jones hit his fifth home run to take over the team lead in RBIs with 20. The home run, against losing pitcher Shaun Marcum, was ruled a triple at first. But a review prompted the umpiring crew to reverse the call. Jones had a three-base hit changed to a home run in St. Louis on April 28.
The Pirates scored merely three runs in the previous two games, losing both. They equaled that run output in the second inning on Friday night. Marcum (0-3 in three starts and one relief appearance) was ineffective almost from the outset. He struck out his first two batters before Andrew McCutchen flied out to the wall in center field, almost matching his out in the ninth inning on Thursday night.
Jones led off the second with a double to deep left-center and advanced to third when Jose Tabata singled. Pedro Alvarez produced his third hit and third RBI of the series when he singled to right, but Tabata was thrown at third base by Marlon Byrd.
Alvarez reached third when Michael McKenry doubled inside third base. Marcum hit John McDonald with a pitch to load the bases, and Rodriguez’s ground ball to second produced an out and the second run.
An infield single by Starling Marte, his first hit of the series, scored McKenry and put the Mets three runs behind a pitcher who had beaten them in three successive starts and who had produced a 2.00 ERA in his four most recent starts against them.
Rodriguez (3-2) gave them little reason to be encouraged until his teammates had doubled the lead in the fifth. To that point, Rodriguez had allowed two successive singles in the second, a double by David Wright, leading off the fourth and a leadoff home run by Anthony Recker, the shutout wrecker, in the fifth.
Rodriguez’s workday ended after six innings. He allowed six hits and zero walks and struck out two. Rodriguez’s career numbers against the Mets now include a 6-2 record and 2.74 ERA in 10 starts and 62 1/3 innings.
Marty Noble – MLB.com
Photo Credits: Getty Images
