"Finally kicking the teeth in on bad teams baby" "Mets rise again to take first place" - New York Mets fans pumped as team ends three-game losing streak with a doubleheader sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates

The New York Mets got back on track today with a dominating doubleheader sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets, coming off of three straight losses, needed these two games today. The Mets dropped two games against the Washington Nationals and one game against the Pirates coming into today.

To make up for their game that got canceled on September 5th, Chris Bassitt secured game one for the Mets. The righty had ten strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Eduardo Escobar and Tyler Naquin both hit home runs in the 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

In game two of the doubleheader, the Mets handed Jacob deGrom the ball. Much like in the earlier game, the Mets' pitching dominated Pittsburgh. deGrom went seven strong innings, striking out eight along the way. deGrom and the bullpen didn't allow a single run. In a game with a lot of hits but no home runs, the Mets blanked the Pirates 10-0 to pick up the doubleheader sweep.

With two wins today, that puts the New York Mets back in first place in the National League East. They sit half a game ahead of the Braves in the division. With such a tight race, Mets fans couldn't be happier with their wins today.

After a rocky couple of games the Mets have played lately, they needed to come out and dominate today. They needed to do it to reassure their fans and boost their confidence. They know they are a better team than the Pirates and the Nationals and they can't afford to lose games they should win.

The dominant starts of Bassitt and deGrom were the story of the day. They will continue to need big performances out of these guys if they want to keep the lead in the division. The New York Mets have placed their ace, Max Scherzer, on a 15-day IL with left-side irritation. The starter is expected to miss two starts.

The New York Mets will look to their dominant pitching to keep them ahead of the Braves in the division

As the Mets take on the Marlins, Cubs, and Pirates for their next three series, they should be okay without their ace. deGrom, Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker will look to step up during those series. deGrom has been nearly unhittable since coming off of the IL in August.

The New York Mets will look to capitalize on this momentum and close out the division. With a relatively easy schedule to close out September, it will be important to separate themselves from the Braves. If the division is still close heading into October, it will be decided by the Mets-Braves series at the end of the season.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

Know More