Maybe it was Jameson Taillon's arrival in town, or maybe it was just that the Mets are in a brief hitting slump. Whatever it was, Juan Nicasio gave the Pirates a strong, if brief, start, and the offense again did just enough against another outstanding young Mets' starter. Along with an uncharacteristically dominant effort by the Pirates' bullpen, it all led to a doubleheader sweep by another 3-1 margin.
Jacob DeGrom showed his dominant stuff, fanning nine over six innings. As in the first game, though, the Pirates managed to run up the enemy's pitch count; of course, it's hard to get quick outs when the hitters can't make contact.