Pirates lose another Paul Skenes start with Mets rallying for walk-off win

If the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Monday proved anything, it’s that Paul Skenes taking the hill far from guarantees a successful outcome for the club, which has won only three of his nine starts this season.

A quality start from Skenes at Citi Field plus a game-tying run in the ninth inning weren’t enough for the Pirates, who fell in walk-off fashion to the Mets in the bottom of the ninth.

With David Bednar (0-4, 3.86 ERA) on the hill, Francisco Lindor reached on an error by shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Juan Soto doubled, advancing Lindor to third.

Pete Alonso then won the game for New York with a sacrifice fly to right field.

“Obviously disappointed to come up on the short end there, but just the battle that our guys put up, offensively, scratching and clawing and putting some runs across the board …” manager Don Kelly said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show.

After the Mets took a one-run lead in the seventh off Caleb Ferguson, the Pirates managed to tie it in the ninth.

Trailing 3-2, Alexander Canario (single, replaced by pinch-runner Ji Hwan Bae) and Jared Triolo (reached on error) got on base, moving up a bag on Henry Davis’ sacrifice bunt.

Ke’Bryan Hayes then tied the score 3-3 with an infield single to score Bae.

“Found a way to put some across the plate with some small ball there,” Kelly said. “Got some runs in, but just came up a little short.”

Skenes (3-4, 2.63 ERA) took a no-decision, lasting six innings, allowing six hits and three walks and striking out six for the Pirates (14-28).

Mets starter David Peterson pitched 6⅓ innings, also taking a no-decision.

In the second, Kiner-Falefa, fresh off the injured list and appearing for the first time since April 30, smacked a solo shot, his first homer of the year, off Peterson to put his club up 1-0.

New York tied the score in the fourth, when Jeff McNeil doubled in Brandon Nimmo, who also doubled.

Skenes, who had uncharacteristically walked four batters each in his past two outings, has now walked 11 through three starts in May, compared to the four he walked through his first six appearances of the season.

Monday’s pitching duel continued in the fifth when Skenes let up a single to Lindor, bringing Soto and Alonso to the plate with one out.

Skenes struck them both out to end the inning, attacking Soto with sweepers while battling back from a 3-0 count to retire Alonso.

“Being able to get out of there with one run is a good thing, but if we’re more efficient, we can go seven, maybe we can go eight (innings),” Skenes, who threw 56 of his 92 pitches for strikes said of his start. “Just got to be better.”

The Pirates cashed in on a golden opportunity in the seventh when Triolo led off with a walk, prompting the Mets to yank Peterson in favor of Jose Butto.

After Triolo stole second, Hayes also walked after a nine-pitch at-bat, during which Butto illegally disengaged a third time, trying to pick off Triolo.

As a result, a balk was called, advancing Triolo to third for Reynolds, who brought him home with a forceout to shortstop, putting the Pirates up 2-1.

But the lead was short-lived, as New York tied the score in the bottom of the seventh off Ferguson, courtesy of a soft Soto groundout to first that plated Tyrone Taylor, who was hit by a pitch, stole second and advanced to third on an Acuna single.

After Kelly replaced Ferguson with Colin Holderman, Alonso put the Mets ahead 3-2 with a sharp RBI single that Hayes was unable to handle at third on the first offering from Holderman.

The ball deflected off Hayes’ glove and was fielded by Kiner-Falefa, who fired home but was unable to nab a sliding Acuna, with the Pirates unsuccessfully challenging the play at the plate.

Both runs were charged to Ferguson (5.00 ERA).

Joey Bart nearly hit a tying solo home run in the eighth but was robbed by Nimmo, who made a leaping catch at the left-center field wall.

“When you look back on this game, there were a lot of plays that were really, really close,” Kelly said.