Pirates avoid sweep
PITTSBURGH — Even during a 162-game season that lasts six months, there are losses that hurt far more than others. Losses that a few innings before were certain wins. Losses that gnaw at a team's confidence. For the New York Mets, this could be one of those very bad defeats.
Two costly New York errors and Adam LaRoche's third hit of the game helped finish off Pittsburgh's comeback from a five-run deficit, and the Pirates avoided being swept at home by the Mets for the first time since 2001 by winning 10-7 Thursday night.
Jason Bay had three run-scoring singles and LaRoche hit a two-run homer to lead the Pirates' rally from deficits of 5-0 and 7-3, a night after they gave the Mets a big scare by scoring four runs in the ninth before losing 10-8.
"There can be a carryover from something like that," LaRoche said.
This time, the Pirates scored twice in the seventh to tie it and three more times in the eighth to win it as the Mets' defense twice allowed Pittsburgh to keep the pivotal eighth inning going.
"To have a lead like that and not be able to put them away, you give them credit for battling back, but there's just no way we should lose a game like that," Mets manager Willie Randolph said.
With two outs in the eighth, third baseman David Wright threw away Freddy Sanchez's potential inning-ending grounder for a two-base error. Sanchez then scored the go-ahead run when catcher Mike DiFelice dropped right fielder Marlon Anderson's throw at the plate for an error after LaRoche singled for his third hit. Bay and Jose Bautista followed with run-scoring singles.
"You try to get the body and ball at the same time, and I got the body without the ball," DiFelice said.
It was the first time the Mets lost a game after having a lead of at least five runs since April 30, 2004, at San Diego, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"When you've got your foot on the neck, you've got to press down real hard and finish them off," Randolph said. "We've lost some tough games here and this was one of them."
Damaso Marte (1-0) won it with a scoreless eighth.
