Charlie Morton allowed six runs in four innings as the New York Mets blew out the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park Friday, 8-1.
Dillon Gee beat the Pirates for the second time this year, striking out five while scattering eight hits and allowing one run in five innings. Meanwhile, Morton allowed one run in a first inning marked by control issues, then five more in an ugly fourth inning that began with an Angel Pagan double and went downhill from there. The double was followed by three singles, then a botched sacrifice attempt by Gee, then two more singles. Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly to cap it all off, and the Mets led 6-1.
Morton kicked off the fifth with a triple by Pagan, and the Pirates turned it over to their bullpen after that. Daniel McCutchen allowed a solo homer by Jose Reyes in the sixth. Tim Wood, who recently took the place of the injured Evan Meek on the roster, pitched a scoreless eighth inning in his Pirates debut.