Aiming to keep the good times rolling following four straight victories against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates instead saw their win streak end in Game 1 of four against the New York Mets on Thursday evening at Citi Field in Queens.
New York starter Carlos Carrasco had his way with the Pirates, posting a season-high 11 strikeouts through six innings and earning the win. Daniel Vogelbach had three RBIs against his former team in the 7-1 Mets victory.
The Pirates and Mets sported No. 21 jerseys on the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day, honoring The Great One.
The Mets paid homage to Clemente before the game, with his son and grandson, both of whom share his first name, throwing out ceremonial first pitches.
In addition, several former Roberto Clemente Award winners, including Jimmy Rollins (2014), Curtis Granderson (2016) and Carlos Beltran (2013), were honored before the game.
Carrasco also won the award in 2019 as a member of the then-Cleveland Indians.
Vogelbach, whom the Pirates traded to New York in late July, made his presence known quickly as he launched a hard-hit double to the right-field wall in the bottom of the first inning that scored a pair of runs off Pirates’ starter JT Brubaker.
After Cal Mitchell walked in the second, Michael Chavis plated him with an RBI double of his own to make the score 2-1.
Carrasco was dealing early, recording eight strikeouts through three innings.
Chavis and Bryan Reynolds managed two hits apiece against Carrasco, and Mitchell drew a pair of walks. But aside from that, the 35-year-old veteran shut down the opposing lineup.
Brubaker’s evening was spoiled before he even managed to record an out in the third. After a two-run homer allowed to New York’s Francisco Lindor, Vogelbach struck again with an RBI single through the right side of the infield, handing the Mets a 5-1 lead.
Facing a bases-loaded, no-out jam, with Vogelbach’s single advancing Pete Alonso, who had singled, to third, and Luis Guillorme drawing a walk, Brubaker avoided a catastrophe, notching two straight strikeouts and ending the inning by getting James McCann to ground out.
Brubaker, who allowed five earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking two, was finished after three innings.
Per an in-game note circulated by the Pirates, Brubaker was removed because of right latissimus muscle discomfort. His status is day-to-day.
Eric Stout, recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon, took over in the bottom of the fourth.
Stout gave up one run while striking out two and walking a pair in two innings of relief, with Robert Stephenson pitching a scoreless sixth.
Yohan Ramirez pitched a scoreless seventh inning but ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing a leadoff double to Tyler Naquin before walking McCann and Brandon Nimmo to load the bases with no outs.
Ramirez made a heads-up play that saved a few runs, catching a line drive off the bat of Lindor. Jeff McNeil then grounded into a force out, with Chavis firing the ball to catcher Jason Delay for an out at home.
But with two outs and the bases still loaded, Ramirez’s luck ran out, as he hit Alonso, scoring McCann. The hit-by-pitch handed Alonso his 112th RBI of the year, sliding him into second in the majors behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
In the top of the ninth, the Pirates went down in order, with the team’s final 17 batters of the game failing to reach first base.
Mitch Keller (5-10, 4.01 ERA) starts for the Pirates on Friday evening in Game 2.
