Pirates at Mets
The New York Mets ended an emotional day with a dramatic streak-busting win and will try for consecutive home victories for the first time in over a month when they play the rubber match of a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Hours after Mets general manager Sandy Alderson announced he was taking a leave of absence to address a recurrence of cancer, his team rallied for a 4-3 win in 10 innings Tuesday night.
Wilmer Flores delivered the game-winning RBI single as New York snapped a seven-game slide and won for just the second time in its last 16 home games. Flores is 3-for-6 with a home run and six RBIs in the series and has driven in 10 runs over a seven-game stretch. Pittsburgh committed three errors in Tuesday's loss as it fell for the sixth time in the last seven games while matching its low-water mark at five games below .500. The Pirates turn to their hottest pitcher in veteran Ivan Nova, who opposes fellow right-hander Zack Wheeler in the finale.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Ivan Nova (4-5, 3.98 ERA) vs. Mets RH Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.85)
Nova has been excellent since coming off the disabled list earlier this month and was at his best with eight scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. He let up three hits and struck out eight in the outing, which left the 31-year-old at 2-0 with a 0.92 ERA in three June starts. Jose Bautista is 9-for-29 with a home run and eight walks against Nova, who has a 2.82 ERA in four career encounters (three starts) with the Mets.
Wheeler tied a season high with seven innings his last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he was reached for four runs in a 5-2 loss to remain winless over a span of 10 starts. He has 15 strikeouts and eight hits allowed in 13 innings over his last two outings. The former first-round pick made one prior start against the Pirates last year on the road, allowing three runs in six frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mets OF Brandon Nimmo (finger) was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game but pinch hit in the seventh.
2. Pirates RF Gregory Polanco homered in the first two games of the series and his solo blast Tuesday night was also his 500th career hit.
3. New York OF Michael Conforto has three homers, four doubles and 11 walks over his last 14 contests.