Mets win 4th straight in Pittsburgh (but lose Carson Benge to injury)

Mets 6 Pirates 4 (PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA)

Mets record: 51-66

Mets streak: Won 4

WP - Zac Thornton (3-2)

LP - Carmen Mlodzinski (6-4)

Seat on the Korner: A.J. Ewing

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

Ewing was the complete player tonight. 3-for-4, a hit by pitch, two runs scored, a stolen base, and two sparkling plays in the outfield to lead the Mets to a 6-4 victory for their 4th straight win. Marcus Semien gets an honorable mention for his homer in the third which put the game out of reach, and his defensive play to save the game (if not save Devin Williams from trending on social media.)

Need to Know

• Before the game, the Mets claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers from Cleveland.

• Carson Benge left the game in the 4th inning due to left wrist soreness after going into the wall to make a sliding catch and was replaced by Christian Pache. Initial X-rays came back negative.

• Marcus Semien's home run in the 3rd inning was his second in two games, his 5th since July 22nd, and 14th of the season. He homered in back-to-back games for the 4th time this season.

• Zac Thornton threw five shutout innings, giving up just four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He bounced back very well from his rough outing last time out.

• Luis Torrens' stolen base in the 6th was the second of his career. The Mets' four stolen bases is a season high.

• Former Met Luke Weaver made his Pirates debut tonight against the Mets. He gave up a hit and a walk but pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

• The Mets won their first game in PNC Park in five tries.

• The Mets have an OPS of .930 in their last four games.

• The Mets won their 4th straight game on the road for the first time since August/September in 2024.

Turning Point

The 3rd inning, most of which came after a rain delay which lasted just over a half hour, was the part that turned the game for the Mets and for Bucs starter Carmen Mlodzinski. The Mets were already up 1-0 when the rains came, but when the teams came back on the field, Mlodzinski caught too much middle on his pitches and got hit around. The Mets also ran Mlodzinski to death during that rally, and it all culminated in a Marcus Semien three run homer which turned the game from a close one to a laugher.

Three Keys (Plus One)

Carson The Magnificent

Carson Benge was having a strong game when he suffered his injury. First, he drove in a run with a single to start the big rally in the 3rd inning ...

... then he made a great catch sliding into the wall which wound up being the catch that injured him.

I realize that Benge isn't old enough to make "business decisions" in a lost season, but I'm always impressed by players that continue to go all out when there's nothing to play for regarding the standings. Let's just hope that this doesn't cost him too much time. For his own sake, of course. But also, for the sake of baseball fans, because Benge is really fun to watch grow, and do his job day in and day out.

A Ewing That Plays Good Defense Is Back in Style

Let's not forget the defense that the Mets played tonight outside of Carson Benge. Jared Young made a nice play to turn an unassisted double play in the 2nd. But A.J. Ewing showed you how to prevent runs tonight. He made a nice diving play through the raindrops in the 2nd.

But then with Thornton on his last legs in the 5th and the Pirates threatening to start to creep back into the game with runners on first and third, Ewing got on his horse to shut down a potential rally and end the inning.

If this isn't proof that Luis Robert Jr. should just stay in the corner outfield slots the rest of the season, then I don't know what will do it.

Torrens Steadies the Ship

This may be fan fiction that I'm imagining, but I thought a key point in the game was a mound visit.

Seventh inning, Dedniel Nunez was coming back to pitch a second inning after working around a double in the 6th. Nunez struggled in his 2nd inning of work, giving up a double and a single to start the inning. Andy Green brings in lefty (and high jumper) Jefry Yan, who gave up an RBI single to Jared Triolo. He then committed the cardinal sin of walking the 9-hole hitter. But more than that, he finished the at-bat by throwing two non-competitive sliders at 2-2 and 3-2. When you have a fastball that can get to 101 at top speed (he was only at 97 tonight), that's just a waste.

So after the walk which loaded the bases, Luis Torrens went out to talk to Jefry. When you have a brand-new bullpen, it's important for the catcher to know right time to get out there and know what to say. It was certainly the right time to get out there. As for what he said to Jefry, I can only speculate that it went something along the lines of "trust your stuff, don't pitch scared, we're 50-66 so if this guy homers, we'll live." (Okay maybe not that last part.)

Whatever he said, it worked. He gave up a sac fly to Jake Magnum and got Brandon Lowe to pop out to Bo Bichette ... all while staying away from the slider. Then against Bryan Reynolds, he went back to the slider and got a swinging strike. Then the second slider got away from Torrens, but it led to what could be a candidate for the defensive play of the year by Torrens and Yan to end the inning:

Jefry didn't give us his signature jump after the play, but after running and sliding to make that play, we'll give him a pass because he was probably tired.

BONUS KEY: Give Me an Extra Helping of Defense

Only because I've been outspoken in my circles about how Brett Baty playing the outfield is pointless, of course he does this in the 9th inning:

That's a great play for an actual outfielder. That's unbelievable play for an infielder who moonlights as an outfielder.

And it was huge, because Devin Williams was equal parts unlucky and infuriating in the 9th as the Pirates sent the tying run to the plate in the 9th. Fortunately, when that tying run did come up, Marcus Semien showed us some of that defense that was the reason he was brought here.

First, phew. Second, this is the crispest the Mets have looked all season. Four straight wins ... just 30 more to get back in the race.