Ke’Bryan Hayes Goes 5 for 5 as Pirates Outlast Mets 14-7

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates followed perhaps their two worst losses of the season by beating the New York Mets 14-7 on Friday night at PNC Park.

The Pirates lost back-to-back games to the worst-in-MLB Oakland Athletics on Tuesday and Wednesday, giving up 20 runs in the process.

Facing the Mets, who have the highest payroll in baseball history at $355 million, the Pirates racked up 17 hits and won for the seventh time in their last nine games while extending New York’s losing streak to seven games.

Ke’Bryan Hayes led the way by going 5 for 5 with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.

It was the second five-hit of the third baseman’s career as he also had one Sept. 26, 2020 at Cleveland during his rookie season. That also represented the last five-hit game by a Pirates hitter.

Jack Suwisnki had three hits, four runs scored and two RBIs while Carlos Santana had two hits and scored three runs, Josh Palaciuos had two hits and two RBIs and Ji Hwan Bae and Austin Hedges each drove in two runs.

Santana and Suwinski hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning to make it 14-2.

Andrew McCutchen raised his career hit total to 1,999 by going 1 for 4 with a walk.

All nine Pirates starters had hits in a game for the first time this season. The Pirates have scored 10 or more runs seven times last season after reaching double digits six times last year.

Rich Hill (6-5) benefitted from the offensive outburst to win his second straight start. The 43-year-old left-hander pitched seven innings and allowed two runs and seven hits while striking out six and walking two.

Hill threw 119 pitches, the most by a pitcher in the major leagues this season. It was also the most by an MLB pitcher since the Boston Red Sox’s Tim Wakefield also threw 119 in 2011 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Manager Derek Shelton surprising called on closer David Bednar with the Pirates leading 14-3 with two out sin the ninth inning. The Mets wound up scoring five runs in the inning – errors by second baseman Bae and right fielder Palacios – contributed to the outburst – before Omar Narvaez hit a game-ending fly out with a runner on second base.

The Pirates (33-29) emphatically broke a 2-2 tie with five-run third inning against Tylor Megill (5-4)

Hayes singled home the first two runs. With runners on first and second, Bae laid a bunt down the third base line and two runs scored when third baseman Eduardo Escobar threw wildly to first base for an error.

Palacios capped the inning with an RBI single before the Pirates knocked Megill out in a three-run fourth that pushed the lead to 10-2.

Suwisnki greeted Zach Muckenhirn with an RBI double, and Hayes followed with a two-run double.

The Pirates tacked on two more runs in the sixth as Bae hit a sacrifice fly and Palacios added an RBI single to make it 12-2. Santana and Suwinski went back-to-back two innings later.

The Mets (30-34) opened the scoring on rookie Mark Vientos’ RBI single in the first, but Hedges put the Pirates ahead an inning later with a two-run double.

Francisco Lindor drew the Mets into a temporary tie with a solo home run in the third inning.

The Mets scored two runs in the ninth inning. The first scored when Bae misplayed a a

The three-game series continues at 4:05 p.m. Saturday with Johan Oviedo (3-4, 4.29) pitches for the Pirates against Japanese rookie Kodai Senga (5-3, 3.75). Oviedo is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts since May 12.