Pirates knuckle under to the Mets

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey took a three-hitter into the ninth inning and Carlos Beltran and the New York Mets feasted on Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 9-1 victory Tuesday night.

Dickey’s tricky pitch was no match for the inexperienced Pittsburgh Pirates. He didn’t allow an extra-base hit until pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco tripled to lead off the ninth. John Bowker’s grounder to shortstop ended the shutout bid. The 35-year-old Dickey (11-6) finished the five-hitter for the third complete game of his career.

The Pirates lost their 56th road game and must win three of their final nine away games to avoid matching the 1963 New York Mets for the worst road record (17-64) in a 162-game season.

Coming in, opponents had a .320 average against Duke (7-14), and the soft-hitting Mets put on one of their best offensive displays of the season.

Beltran homered and hit a two-run double, driving in more than two runs for the first time since June 11, 2009.

Nick Evans followed up his game-winning hit in the 10th inning Monday with a single and a monstrous home run in his first two at-bats, and Ruben Tejada had a career-high three hits to lift his average above .200. Tejada also started two splendid double plays to back Dickey.

The Mets scored all their runs in the first four innings.