The New York Mets (28-15) picked up a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-29) on Tuesday night at Citi Field behind Kodai Senga’s gritty performance and a clutch solo homer from Brett Baty.
Senga danced around trouble all night, holding Pittsburgh to one run over 5.2 innings despite multiple jams. The right-hander stranded runners in scoring position in each of his first four innings, finishing with seven strikeouts. Though the Pirates went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, they left 12 men on base thanks to timely pitches from Senga and a sharp Mets bullpen.
Juan Soto got the Mets rolling in the first with a single and a stolen base, setting up Brandon Nimmo’s RBI double for an early lead. Mitch Keller kept the Mets in check after that until Baty broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh, launching an opposite-field solo shot, his fourth home run in his last 13 at-bats.
The bullpen delivered again. Max Kranick, Ryne Stanek, and Edwin Díaz closed it out, with Díaz escaping a tense ninth that saw the Pirates put two in scoring position with one out. Díaz froze Bryan Reynolds on a full-count fastball and got Joey Bart to line out to seal the Mets’ 28th win of the season.
The Mets will aim to complete the three-game sweep of the Pirates on Wednesday with Clay Holmes on the mound. The first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].