Surging Mets sweep away Pirates, move win streak to four games - 3 takeaways

NEW YORK — Before Wednesday's game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza lauded Tyrone Taylor for his elite defense and ability to play in all three spots in the outfield.

In the series finale against the Pirates, Taylor proved that he can provide a little bit more production elsewhere on the diamond.

Taylor collected a trio of hits, breaking the game open with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning off Hunter Stratton and leading the Mets to a 9-1 victory and a series sweep on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field.

It was the Mets' fourth straight win as they improved to 10-8.

The Pirates had entered the series with an 11-5 record and tied atop the NL Central before the Mets knocked them down a run. Now, the Mets will continue to be tested as they head out on a six-game road trip against the Dodgers (12-8) and Giants (8-11), which kicks off at 10:10 p.m. on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

"It was a really good homestand for us," Mendoza said. "The Pirates came into town pretty hot. That's a good team there and we played well too. We were able to come back a couple times. It was good to see the group continue to play well."

Tyrone Taylor on a tear

The 30-year-old outfielder, who is a lifetime .241 hitter, has been a pleasant surprise at the plate in the early going for the Mets. With three more hits and a stolen base on Wednesday, Taylor is now slashing .341/.378/.463 with one home run, 10 RBI, three runs and a pair of stolen bases.

"He's short to the ball and he's ready to hit the fastball. That's a good recipe for a big-league hitter," Mendoza said. "We saw that in spring training and here he is. Today was a matchup, but I like the at-bats. I see a good hitter at the plate right now."

As a member of the Brewers in 2023, Taylor, who was acquired in an offseason trade that also brought over Adrian Houser, had one three-hit game last season and never batted above .235.

This season, Taylor also provided the walk-off RBI single in the Mets' first victory of the season following their 0-5 start on April 4 and hit a grand slam off former Mets infielder Luis Guillorme in their series finale against the Braves.

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Taylor says he likes to go into each offseason with a clean slate at the plate and tweaks his approach. He said he has been focused more on using his lower half, staying connected and having the barrel in the zone for a longer stretch earlier this season.

"I try to be my best self every day. I work hard in practice, I have a game plan," Taylor said. "I'm consistent with my work with BP. I definitely have the mindset of getting better every day, but you never know with baseball, man. Good things happen, bad things happen, I'm just riding the wave."

Harrison Bader — also known as a glove-first player — also provided a lift for the third time during their six-game homestand. After providing a game-tying RBI on a swinging bunt on Sunday and a go-ahead two-run double on Monday, Bader followed up Taylor's big hit with a two-run home run to grow the Mets' lead to 6-1.

Starling Marte added a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the third.

Luis Severino is doubly effective

With an off day looming and a cross-country flight on the horizon, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Mets bullpen to catch its breath before Friday's series opener with the Dodgers.

Luis Severino helped the cause in his fourth start of the season on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old right-hander turned in his deepest start of the young season, using 96 pitches to work through six innings, allowing one run (none earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four. He chiseled his ERA down to 2.14 and improved to 2-1 with the win.

Despite some traffic, Severino created his own luck, forcing the Pirates to ground into three double plays over the course of his outing.

"It meant a lot to me," Severino said of his deepest outing of 2024. "I think I've needed like 200 pitches to get to the six innings. We mixed some two-seamers in there to get some ground balls and double plays."

The Pirates' lone run came after a catcher's inference and RBI infield single by Bryan Reynolds with the Mets drawn in on the corners.

Severino spent much of the afternoon pitching from the stretch, allowing the leadoff batter aboard on five occasions but was able to strand five runners.

Mendoza has seen a different pitcher from the one he witnessed as a bench coach with the Yankees. The addition of a cutter and sweeper, rather than his old hard slider, has provided more depth attacking hitters and make his high-90s fastball with a little more ride harder to lock in against.

"Confidence. Obviously, he's getting results, but he's staying on the attack," Mendoza said. 'I do feel now with the cutter and (rather than) a shorter slider, he's got a sweeper now, which I thought today came and went. I don't think he had his best secondary pitches, but the fastball now plays."

Brett Baty side-steps major injury

After Brett Baty was removed from Tuesday night's game prior to the seventh inning with left hamstring tightness, Mendoza was optimistic that the Mets third baseman would avoid a stint on the injured list.

"It looks like we caught it early here," Mendoza said. "He's still day-to-day obviously, but overall, the early reports are encouraging."

Zack Short started in Baty's spot at third base on Wednesday afternoon, walking and scoring a run. Joey Wendle provided a clutch RBI double to even the score during Tuesday night's 3-1 victory.

Thursday was the first game that Baty has missed this season. So far this season, Baty is hitting .305/.359/.373 with one home run, nine RBI, seven runs and 12 strikeouts.