A pair of National League teams with different situations in the final month of the season take the field in the Steel City searching for a victory. The New York Mets are on the road to play the opening game of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday evening. New York was knocked off 7-1 by Washington in the finale of their three-game home set Sunday afternoon to lose the series. Pittsburgh fell 4-3 at home to Toronto in the finale of their series Sunday afternoon to wind up being swept. These teams were slated to open this series Monday afternoon but the game was postponed by rain, necessitating a split doubleheader Wednesday at PNC Park.
New York was drubbed on back-to-back days by lowly Washington at home to lose their series with the Nationals over the weekend. The Mets entered Monday holding a narrow one-game advantage over surging Atlanta in the NL East race. On Sunday, New York finished with only six hits with Jeff McNeil (RBI) the lone player with two. He knocked in the Mets’ lone run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. The lack of offensive production didn’t help and neither did a McNeil error that led to four unearned runs. Carlos Carrasco (13-6) took the loss after allowing five runs (one earned) on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work.
Taijuan Walker takes the hill for the Mets as he logs his 24th start of the season in this contest. He comes in 10-3 with a 3.45 ERA, a 1.215 WHIP, 38 walks and 93 strikeouts over 122.2 innings of work on the year. Walker didn&#x 2019;t factor in the decision in his last start, which came last Tuesday at home against the Dodgers. He threw 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in a game the Mets eventually dropped 4-3. In his last three starts, Walker has no record with a 3.65 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, seven walks and eight strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work. Walker makes his fourth career start against the Pirates in this contest. He is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA, a 2.294 WHIP, 10 walks and five strikeouts over 11.1 innings of work against them. Walker didn’t factor in the decision in his lone outing at PNC Park, which came with the Mets on July 18, 2021. He threw one-third of an inning, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits with four walks and no strikeouts in one-third of an inning in a game the Mets rallied to win 7-6.