Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte Gets His Nose Out of Joint

By Nicholas Stix

In the bottom of the fifth inning at Flushing, with Asdrubal Cabrera on first, nobody out, and the score 4-0 Mets, right-handed New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes hit a line drive off junkballing, southpaw Pirates starter Jeff Locke to left field.

Cespedes usually hits rockets, and Marte thought he had the ball lined up for a catch, but the ball knuckled down into the turf. Marte went for it on one bounce, but the ball came up and bit him in the nose, possibly hitting him in the cheek, as well.

Marte recovered, and threw the ball in, but not before Cabrera went first-to-third.

Marte’s a gamer, and wanted to stay in, but the Bucs pulled him, possibly worried about his eyesight and balance.

My unscientific diagnoses: Broken nose.

The next hitter, Wilmer Flores, hit a Texas Leaguer to right, score Cabrera, making the score 6-0, Mets, and knock out Locke.

Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle then brought in fireballer Arquimedes Caminero, who hit 100 mph on the radar gun, while getting two-seamer type squiggle movement, and throws a 92 MPOH off-speed pitch. However, Caminero still has trouble keeping men off the bases. Before he could close the books on the inning, Kelly Johnson got his own Texas Leaguer, RBI single to shallow center, making the score 7-0, Mets.

In all, nine Mets came to bat, two scored, and Curtis Granderson flied out to CF, with the bases loaded.

Noah Syndegaard is cruising for the Mets, who are now hitting in the bottom of the sixth.