Mets' Bullpen Struggles in Loss to Pirates

0:00It's March 29th. This is MLB News Today, powered by AI, You're Around the Diamond Update, Encore with the Story. The New York Mets fell short in a 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, dropping their shot at a sweep after winning the first two games. Fans zeroed in on manager Carlos Mendoza's call to bring in reliever Richard Love Lady for the top of the 10th, where he gave up two runs on. Back-to-back days, Love Lady was a last-minute roster addition, and the Mets couldn't turn to studs like Devon Williams or Brooks Rally because both were unavailable. After heavy use in Saturday's win, in the bottom half, Francisco Lindor got tagged out at the plate as the potential tying run with nobody out, killing their rally and stranding one. Soto, Mets supporters lit up social media, blasting the bullpen moves, and still stinging from last season's one-game playoff miss. That trauma has everyone on edge early, treating every loss like a crisis even in late March.

1:00But digging deeper, Mendoza played it smart with a fresh bullpen after an off-day Friday. They burned through most-armed Saturday for the series' win, prioritizing rest over forcing a sweep that wouldn't shift playoff odds much. Look, baseball's a 162-game grind, not a sprint. Saving top relievers now avoids burnout later, especially with starters building pitch counts and the offense going cold at 2 for 10 with runners, in scoring position. The Mets grab the series, that's the real victory heading into St. Louis.