TLDR: Two teams playing out very different endings to lost seasons collide at PNC Park, with one a full-blown fire sale and the other just trying to stop the bleeding.
Saturday, August 8 pairs two pitchers on opposite ends of the experience spectrum. Robert Stock, a 36-year-old journeyman making just his second MLB start since 2021, gets the ball for the Mets in Pittsburgh. Across from him is Bubba Chandler, the Pirates' 23-year-old rookie who's already drawing Rookie of the Year buzz after a shutout debut against Cincinnati.
Robert Stock
(0-2)·5.40 ERA
Aug 2 vs Marlins
L
5.0IP
1ER
4K
0BB
70P
08/08 Lineup
Bubba Chandler
(6-8)·4.38 ERA
Aug 3 @ Brewers
W
5.2IP
2ER
5K
4BB
96P
08/08 Lineup
Stock's return start went about as well as the Mets could've hoped — 5.0 innings, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts against Miami — but he's a rotation Band-Aid on a staff that's already lost Tylor Megill for the year. Chandler brings swing-and-miss stuff that touches triple digits, though his control has wavered enough that walks have piled up alongside the strikeouts. Neither lineup is fully healthy either — Pittsburgh is without Oneil Cruz and Ryan O'Hearn, while New York is missing Juan Soto and Mark Vientos.
None of that changes the bigger picture: the Mets are 50-66 and deep into sell mode, having shipped out Freddy Peralta and fired manager Carlos Mendoza in favor of interim skipper Andy Green. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is just trying to stop the bleeding after dropping 3 straight and 4 of its last 5 against Milwaukee.
The Pirates' skid hasn't been about getting blown out — three of their last four losses came by 2 runs or fewer — but the offense has gone quiet at the worst time. Even Paul Skenes, who the front office insisted would stay a Pirate through the deadline, has scuffled, winless in his last 9 starts. Chandler is the lone arm carrying real momentum into Saturday.
Stock's comeback is a fun story, but he's a 36-year-old filling innings for a team with nothing left to play for down the stretch. Chandler's the one with actual stakes on the mound — a rookie building his case for the future while everyone else in this game is just trying to get to September.
Mets 0, Pirates 9: Final Score & Odds Recap — Sinking Pirates Host Selling Mets in a PNC Park Letdown
