Late Baty Homer Lifts Mets Past Pirates 2-1

Brett Baty might officially be back for good.

The infielder, whose major league struggles to this point in his career have been well-documented, recorded his fourth home run in just 13 at-bats on this Mets homestand and his fifth home run of the season to lift the Mets (28-15) past the Pirates (14-29) 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Baty took Mitch Keller, who continued his career Mets dominance by tossing a gem into the seventh inning, deep on a fly ball that just cleared the wall in left field. The home run broke a 1-1 tie and put the Mets up for good, securing the team its third win in a row.

Up to the point of Baty’s home run, there had been very little offense from either team. The Mets struck first with a Brandon Nimmo RBI double in the first and held that lead until the Pirates walked a runner home in the sixth inning.

Now holding a 2-1 lead after Baty’s home run, the combination of Reed Garrett, Max Kranick, and Ryne Stanek did a fantastic job of bridging the final few innings before Edwin Díaz was called on to make the save in the ninth. Díaz made it difficult on himself by getting runners on second and third with one out, but he got the final two outs and secured the victory.

Before the bullpen’s impressive showing, Kodai Senga delivered yet another great start for the Mets, allowing just one run in 5 2/3 innings. He escaped trouble with an exceptional command of his ghost fork, recording six of his seven strikeouts on the pitch. With his start, Senga’s ERA raised slightly to 1.22.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Mets have had a lot of close, gritty wins this season. Their latest is their third in a row and puts them at 28-15 on the year. The Mets will go for a sweep of the Pirates Wednesday night.

Stat of the Game: Rotation Has a Historical Start

With Senga’s fantastic start Tuesday evening, the Mets now have five different pitchers this year with a sub-3.15 ERA and 40-plus strikeouts through 8 starts. No other team in history has had five starters with those numbers through eight starts. The Mets’ pitching staff has truly been exceptional top-to-bottom this season.

Player of the Game: Brett Baty

The Mets simply don’t win this game without Brett Baty. His home run put the team over the top in a tough, low-scoring affair. He finished 2-for-3, also adding a single earlier in the game. Baty now owns a .791 OPS.

On Deck

The Mets will play the final game of their series against the Pirates at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday night. Clay Holmes (5-1, 2.74 ERA) is scheduled to go for New York, while Bailey Falter (2-3, 4.36 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh. The game will be broadcast on SNY and MLB Network.

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