Pirates Snap Skid Behind Chandler, Big Night for Offense

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PITTSBURGH — Bubba Chandler had one of his best starts and the Pirates’ offense broke out in a 9-0 win over the Mets at PNC Park on Saturday night to snap a four-game skid.

Scoring Plays​

Bottom 1st, 3-0 PIT: The Pirates (58-61) struck for three early runs against Robert Stock (0-2). With the bases loaded and one out, Nick Gonzales plated Jake Mangum on a groundout to the right of the pitcher’s mound. Ronny Simon followed by keeping a ball fair inside the third base bag for a two-run double.

Bottom 3rd, 4-0 PIT: Simon bunted for a hit, stole second and raced home to score on Jacob Gonzalez’s single to right field.

Bottom 4th, 8-0 PIT: The first six men up to plate all reached safely and the Pirates struck for four more runs. Mangum doubled home Henry Davis and scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Later on, Gonzales plated a pair with a double to right.

Bottom 7th, 9-0 PIT: Brandon Lowe hit a solo home run off Mets catcher Luis Torrens, who was called upon in the seventh. The blast was Lowe’s team-high 25th this season.

Key Moments​

The slumping Pirates’ offense needed a jolt and received one with a three-run first inning.

Player of the Game​

Bubba Chandler (5-8) delivered one of his best big-league starts. The right-hander fired six-shutout innings and prevented the Mets (51-67) from reaching scoring position at any point. He scattered three hits, walked one and struck out five.

Stat to Know​

After connecting off Mets catcher Luis Torrens in the seventh, Brandon Lowe now has 25 home runs and 25 doubles this season. The only other left-handed hitting Pirates to have 25-plus homers and 25-plus doubles in a season this century are: Brian Giles (2000-02), Adam LaRoche (2008), Nate McLouth (2008), Pedro Álvarez (2012) and Garrett Jones (2012).

Notable Performances​

• Bubba Chandler: 6.0 innings, three hits, no runs, one walk, five strikeouts, 85 pitches/58 strikes
• Brandon Lowe: 1 for 4, one home run, one walk, one RBI, one run
• Jake Mangum: 3 for 5, two doubles, one RBI, two runs, one steal

Noteworthy​

• Bubba Chandler is 2-0 with a 3.23 ERA in six starts since the beginning of June.
• Esmerlyn Valdez snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a base hit off Luis Torrens in the eighth. He had struck out 13 times but also walked 13 times during the skid.
• That was the Pirates’ first shutout since May 20.
• The Pirates out-hit the Mets 12-3. New York did not have a runner in scoring position all game.
• Endy Rodríguez was scratched from the original starting lineup with left hip discomfort. He was replaced by Henry Davis at catcher.

Up Next​

RHP Jared Jones (2-3, 4.02 ERA) will look to lead the Pirates to a series win on Sunday afternoon. LHP Sean Manaea (3-5, 4.33 ERA) will try and do the same for the Mets. First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

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