Paul Blackburn News: Knocked around in second inning

Blackburn (0-3) took the loss against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out two in one inning. He did not issue a walk.

Blackburn logged both of his strikeouts in the first inning, and the Mets opted to stick with the 31-year-old for the second following an 89-minute rain delay. That turned out to be the wrong move, as he proceeded to issue five straight singles before being lifted for Jose Butto without recording an out in the frame. Blackburn ended up tossing only 33 pitches (21 strikes), and it was the second time this season that he has not made it past two innings in a start. The outing inflated his stats to a 7.71 ERA and 1.98 WHIP across 18.2 innings, and he'll look to bounce back against the Brewers next week at home.