Pirates Bat By Mets

It didn't matter who was pitching for the New York Mets on Wednesday night. The Pittsburgh Pirates treated everyone harshly.

Wil Cordero went 5-for-5 with four RBIs, and the Pirates had 20 hits in a 13-9 victory.

"They had their hitting shoes on," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "They hit our starter, they hit our bullpen, they kept swinging and got hits."

Pinch-hitter John Vander Wal's two-run double highlighted a five-run seventh inning that carried the Pirates to their sixth win in eight games. Cordero added a two-run double in the eighth.

The Pirates were shut out on six hits on Tuesday night and trailed 6-1 in the fourth inning Wednesday.

"I think we've shown we have the ability to win games like this," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "We have the ability to come back."

The Mets, losers of seven of nine, went ahead 7-6 in the top of the seventh against Jose Silva (3-1) when Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura singled and Todd Zeile doubled.

In the bottom of the ining, the first seven batters reached base for the Pirates. Jason Kendall singled off Dennis Cook (3-1), and Brian Giles was hit by a pitch. Kevin Young's single off Pat Mahomes tied the game, and Cordero singled to load the bases.

Pat Meares' single broke the tie, and Vander Wal blooped a double to short left field. Rickey Henderson pulled up a stride short on the ball, which bounced over his head and into the bullpen.

Valentine said he didn't get a good look at the play and couldn't comment on Henderson's handling of it.

Luis Sojo followed with an RBI single as Mahomes faced five batters and gave up hits to all of them.

Vander Wal is 5-for-11 as a pinch hitter with nine RBIs.

The 20 hits were the most the Mets allowed since giving up 20 to the Pirates on Sept. 26, 1992. The last time the Pirates had 20 or more hits was Aug. 4, 1998.

The Pirates went into the sixth trailing 6-3 against Rick Reed. Young opened the inning with a single, and Cordero homered to the fourth level at Three Rivers Stadium, an estimated 434 feet.

Meares singled, moved up on reliever Turk Wendell's balk and scored the tying run when center fielder Melvin Mora misplayed Adrian Brown's fly ball into a double.

The Mets took a 6-1 lead with five runs in the third against starter Todd Ritchie. Edgardo Alfonzo doubled in two runs, Piazza hit a two-run homer and Ventura followed with his seventh homer.

"If you had told me ahead of time this game would win up like this, I never would have believed it," Lamont said. "With Ritchie and Reed, you expect a low-scoring game."

Young led off the Pirates' second with his fifth homer, tying the score 1-1.

In the fourth, Meares tripled in a run, and Brown tripled and scored when Warren Morris grounded out.

In his first four starts this year, Reed allowed four earned runs in 29 2-3 innings. In his last three, he's given up 15 earned runs in 21 1-3 innings.

"That was unbelievable," Reed said. "It was one of those nights where nothing went right. I couldn't hit my spots. Mike would want a pitch outside and I'd throw it in or vice versa. To be honest with you, I don't know how I made it through five innings."

Cordero matched his career high for hits.

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