Mets Visit PNC Park Looking to Slow a Hungrier Pirates Squad
Two teams trending in opposite directions meet Friday night at PNC Park, with Pittsburgh holding a seven-game edge in the standings over a New York club that has struggled to find consistency. There's no model read to anchor this one, so the matchup itself has to do the talking.
The records tell a clear story before a single pitch is thrown. The Pirates sit at 57-60, still within reach of relevance, while the Mets come in at 50-66 — a team that has spent most of this summer digging a hole it can't quite escape. Pittsburgh has the home crowd, the better record, and frankly, the more dangerous lineup on paper. New York needs something to go right in a hurry.
On the mound, Zac Thornton is expected to start for the Mets, while Carmen Mlodzinski is set to take the mound for Pittsburgh. Neither name inspires immediate fear, which means the offenses could have real say in how this one unfolds. For the Mets, the offensive burden falls on a short list of contributors. Marcus Semien leads the club with 13 home runs, and Bo Bichette has been the run-producer with 56 RBI. Carson Benge is hitting .267, giving New York at least one reliable contact bat to build around. The question is whether that's enough firepower to compete on the road.
Pittsburgh's answer to that question is Brandon Lowe, and it's a compelling one. Lowe leads the Pirates with 24 home runs and 72 RBI — numbers that make him one of the more dangerous middle-of-the-order threats in this game tonight. Nick Gonzales is hitting .309, giving Pittsburgh a legitimate table-setter who can make life difficult for opposing pitchers early in counts. The Pirates don't need to manufacture runs when Lowe is capable of ending an inning with one swing. Our model doesn't have a validated read on this game, so no lean is being pushed here — but the talent gap between these two rosters, as reflected in both the standings and the individual stat lines, points toward Pittsburgh as the team with more ways to win. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET at PNC Park, with coverage on MLB.TV and WPIX.