Pirates at Mets
The New York Mets are having some trouble getting the pitching staff and the lineup on the same page as their latest losing streak sits at three games. The Mets will try to coax another solid effort out of right-hander Robert Gsellman while keeping the bats humming along when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second of a three-game series on Saturday.
New York totaled one run in back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the current series but watched the lineup explode with three homers on Friday, only to end up falling 12-7 as the Pirates bashed former ace Matt Harvey and the Mets bullpen. The strong offensive showing by Pittsburgh - led by a home run and six RBIs from backup catcher Elias Diaz - bailed out a poor effort from ace Gerrit Cole and gave the Pirates their third straight road victory, improving the team to 11-17 away from PNC Park. Gsellman will try to keep Diaz and company off the board on Saturday while Pittsburgh counters with right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who struggled against the Mets at home on Sunday. New York fell to 2-3 on its current homestand with Friday's loss and is just 13-18 at Citi Field on the season.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, Fox
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Tyler Glasnow (2-4, 6.95 ERA) vs. Mets RH Robert Gsellman (3-3, 5.75)
Glasnow held New York scoreless through three innings at home on Sunday but ended up going just five innings while being charged with five runs and eight hits in a loss. The 23-year-old went past the sixth inning in just one of his seven outings this season and has issued 26 walks in 45 1/3 innings. Glasnow managed to keep all eight of the Mets' hits in the ballpark on Sunday, snapping a string of five straight starts yielding at least one homer.
Gsellman is ticketed to return to the bullpen when Steven Matz and Seth Lugo come off the disabled list but pitched well in his last two starts. The 23-year-old held Milwaukee to two runs - one earned - and three hits in seven innings on Monday after posting a quality start against San Diego in his previous turn. Gsellman will be seeing Pittsburgh for the first time in his career.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mets 1B Lucas Duda homered twice on Friday and has six blasts in his last nine games.
2. The Pirates designated INF Alen Hanson for assignment and optioned INF Gift Ngoepe to Triple-A on Friday.
3. Pittsburgh C Francisco Cervelli (illness) was scratched from the lineup on Friday and is day-to-day.