The Pirates fell to the Mets 5-2 on June 27, 2025, as Mitch Keller's record dropped to 1-11 after a costly Pete Alonso homer. Can the Bucs turn it around?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Another night at PNC Park, another frustrating result. The Pittsburgh Pirates kicked off their weekend series against the New York Mets with a familiar script, falling 5-2 in a game that felt emblematic of their 2025 struggles. The spotlight once again fell on ace-turned-enigma Mitch Keller, who battled but ultimately took the loss, seeing his season record plummet to a jaw-dropping 1-11.
Mitch Keller's season record plummets to a jaw-dropping 1-11.
For four innings, it felt like Mitch Keller might finally turn a corner. He was holding the Mets in check, locked in a 1-1 duel. But the fifth inning proved to be his undoing, as it has so often this season. A walk followed by a two-run home run from Mets slugger Pete Alonso broke the game open, and the Pirates never recovered. Keller finished with a respectable seven strikeouts over six innings, but the four earned runs were enough to saddle him with his eleventh loss. On the other side, Mets starter David Peterson was masterful, holding the Pirates to just one run over seven dominant innings.
The Pirates' offense showed flickers of life but couldn't muster a sustained attack against Peterson and the Mets' bullpen. Veteran leader Andrew McCutchen did his part, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double that accounted for the team's first run. Bryan Reynolds provided a late spark with a solo home run in the 8th inning, but it was too little, too late. Outside of those two hits, the lineup was mostly silent, failing to string together the rallies needed to climb back into the game.
Friday's loss extends a painful stretch for the club, which has now gone 3-7 in its last ten games and sits at 32-50 overall. The defeat also continues a trend of struggles against the Mets, who have now won seven of the last ten matchups. The team's search for answers isn't just confined to the starting rotation; the bullpen is also in flux. The Pirates optioned struggling reliever Darrell Hicks to Triple-A Indianapolis before the game, a move aimed at getting the right-hander back on track but leaving the team to navigate a tough series a man short for the day.
The loss sets a sour tone for a crucial weekend series at home. Now sitting at 32-50, the Pirates desperately need to find a way to snap this skid and generate some momentum. With two games left against a tough Mets team that has had their number, the Bucs will need their bats to wake up and their pitching to deliver a shutdown performance if they hope to salvage the series and give the PNC Park faithful something to cheer about.
