(Sports Network) – Surprise early-season standout Kevin Correia can get the
Pittsburgh Pirates back to .500 today when they host the New York Mets in game
three of a four-game set at PNC Park.

The Mets entered Saturday’s game with a chance to get back to .500, but were
denied when Andrew McCutchen stroked a two-run double and James McDonald
tossed six innings in the Pirates’ 3-2 win.

McDonald (4-4) gave up two runs, eight hits and three walks for the Pirates,
who rebounded from an 8-1 loss in the opener and are 7-4 in their last 11
contests. Jose Tabata is riding a five-game hitting streak.

R.A. Dickey (3-7) went the distance for New York, allowing three runs on eight
hits over eight frames. Jose Reyes had two hits and leads the majors with 32
multi-hit games this season. He has reached base safely in 52 of his 61 games
this season and leads the majors with a .341 average, 91 hits and 11 triples.

The Mets lost for just the third time in their last nine games.

New York is fourth in the National League’s East Division and 7 1/2 games
behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, while the Pirates are fourth in
the NL Central and 5 1/2 back of first-place St. Louis.

Correia, who entered the season with a 36-43 record in the big leagues, was
5-4 after a 9-6 loss at Milwaukee on May 15, but has since bounced back with a
four-start unbeaten run.

He won consecutive decisions over Detroit, the Chicago Cubs and the Mets
through June 1, then pitched five innings in the Pirates’ 8-5 win against
Arizona in his last start on June 7.

Against New York, the 30-year-old Californian allowed six hits and two runs
across six innings in upping his career mark against the Mets to 2-3 in 11
games — five starts.

Pittsburgh is 9-5 in the 14 games he’s pitched.

For New York, 32-year-old lefty Chris Capuano continues his comeback with his
14th appearance of the season and 12th start.

The Massachusetts native was an 18-game winner with the Milwaukee Brewers in
2005, then won 11 and five games the following two years before not pitching
at all in the big leagues in 2008 and 2009.

He returned to make 24 appearances with the Brewers in 2010, then signed with
the Mets as a free agent on Jan. 3, 2011.

Capuano took the loss in the June 1 matchup with Correia and the Pirates after
allowing eight hits and five runs in six innings. He rebounded for a 2-1 win
at Milwaukee on June 7, giving up just six hits and a run in six innings. Mets
starters have posted a 2.70 ERA over their last 16 games — the lowest in the
majors over that period.

The Mets and Pirates split a four-game set in Flushing, N.Y. from May 30-June
2, but New York is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall.

The Sports Network

The New York Mets missed out on a chance to even their record. Their manager wants them to set their sights higher.

James McDonald allowed two runs in six effective innings, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

New York (31-33) had won five of six coming in but failed to pull to .500 for only the second time since losing seven in a row following a 4-4 start.

“That’s not a goal, to get to .500,” Collins said. “Our goal is to win and win and win and to get above .500 — that’s our goal. We keep looking at the .500 mark; if we play good baseball, we’ll get there and beyond. But it can’t be, ‘Let’s just get to .500,’ because that’s not where you really want to be.”

McDonald worked around eight hits and three walks, allowing two runs.

He outdueled R.A. Dickey (3-7), who had his fifth consecutive effective outing. Dickey pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

The Mets are 26-20 since a 5-13 start and have won eight of 13.

“I really believe if we can just get over .500 that you’ll see us take off,” Dickey said. “Getting past the barrier would be very important for this team.”

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, and Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Baseball’s leading hitter, Jose Reyes had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each added two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

McDonald (4-4) entered with a 1.09 ERA in the seven previous games he had won with Pittsburgh since being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers last July.

“Even when I got in good counts, they were able to get decent swings on the ball, but the defense was able to pick me up,” McDonald said.

“It was outstanding defense. … They made some great plays behind me, and that was really, really big for me today.”

Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

“The one thing that I really feel good about is that these guys have grasped the idea of pitch and play defense,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Find ways to score on offense, but pitch and play defense. It makes for a good game.”

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp grounder to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

“That’s an error — no disrespect to Dan Murphy at all; he’s a good player,” Collins said. “A very good player. He’ll make that play the next 10 times it’s hit at him. Every time. No doubt in my mind.”

Mets slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center — right at McCutchen.

“I’m glad he’s back,” Collins said.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center — the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

“I wanted to score from there,” Pagan said, “but right field is so short in this park that you have to hope for a bad bounce to have an opportunity to score on that ball. (Jones) fielded it cleanly and I didn’t have a chance.”

NOTES: A fan favorite here but part of teams that all finished last or next-to-last, Bay received mostly cheers — but some boos — during his first plate appearance at PNC Park since being traded in 2008. … Reyes, who turned 28 Saturday, leads the majors in hits.

PITTSBURGH —
James McDonald allowed two runs in six effective innings, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Baseball’s leading hitter, Jose Reyes had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each also had two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

McDonald (4-4) allowed eight hits and three walks. Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save in as many opportunities.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp groudner to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

Dickey (3-7) had his fifth consecutive effective outing, pitching a complete game. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

The Mets’s slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after manager Terry Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center – right at McCutchen.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center – the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

—
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(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Read more: New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baseball, Local Pro, MLB

PITTSBURGH (AP) – James McDonald allowed two runs in six effective innings, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Baseball’s leading hitter, Jose Reyes had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each also had two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

McDonald (4-4) allowed eight hits and three walks. Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save in as many opportunities.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp groudner to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

Dickey (3-7) had his fifth consecutive effective outing, pitching a complete game. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

The Mets’s slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after manager Terry Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center – right at McCutchen.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center – the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

NOTES: A fan favorite here but part of teams that all finished last or second-to-last, Bay received mostly cheers – but some boos – during his first plate appearance at PNC Park since being traded in 2008. … Reyes, who turned 28 Saturday, leads the majors in hits.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

PITTSBURGH, June 11 (UPI) — Andrew McCutchen delivered a go-ahead, two-run triple in the third inning Saturday and the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 3-2 win over the New York Mets.

With two outs in the third and the score tied 1-1, Jose Tabata singled and Josh Harrison walked off R.A. Dickey (3-7). That brought up McCutchen, who tripled to hand Pittsburgh a two-run lead.

Starter James McDonald (4-4) earned the win, holding the Mets to two runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings. He fanned two.

Tim Wood, Tony Watson and Jose Veras combined for two frames of scoreless relief and Joel Hanrahan nailed down the victory with his 16th save for the Bucs, who evened their four-game set with New York at one win apiece.

Dickey, meanwhile, racked up a complete-game loss, surrendering eight runs on three hits.

Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy drove in runs for the Mets.

PITTSBURGH —

James McDonald wasn’t as good as he usually is when he wins for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This time, he was just good enough when he had to be.

McDonald worked around eight hits and three walks, allowing two runs in six innings and the Pirates beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

“It was a big-time effort, with his want-to being better than his how-to,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He was pitching out of the stretch all night. He was up in the zone a lot, too. But he got outs when he needed to.”

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, and Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Jose Reyes, baseball’s leading hitter, had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each also had two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

McDonald (4-4) entered with a 1.09 ERA in the seven previous games he had won with Pittsburgh since being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers last July.

“Even when I got in good counts, they were able to get decent swings on the ball, but the defense was able to pick me up,” McDonald said.

“It was outstanding defense. … They made some great plays behind me, and that was really, really big for me today.”

Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

“The one thing that I really feel good about is that these guys have grasped the idea of pitch and play defense,” Hurdle said. “Find ways to score on offense, but pitch and play defense. It makes for a good game.”

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp grounder to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

“That’s an error – no disrespect to Dan Murphy at all; he’s a good player,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “A very good player. He’ll make that play the next 10 times it’s hit at him. Every time. No doubt in my mind.”

Dickey (3-7) had his fifth consecutive effective outing, pitching a complete game. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

Mets slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center – right at McCutchen.

“I’m glad he’s back,” Collins said.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center – the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

“I wanted to score from there,” Pagan said, “but right field is so short in this park that you have to hope for a bad bounce to have an opportunity to score on that ball. (Jones) fielded it cleanly and I didn’t have a chance.”

NOTES: A fan favorite here but a member of teams that all finished last or next-to-last, Bay received mostly cheers – but some boos – during his first plate appearance at PNC Park since being traded in 2008. … Reyes, who turned 28 Saturday, leads the majors in hits.