Mets’ 7-game home winning streak ends, lose in 10 to Pirates

Neil Walker homered in the first off Bartolo Colon, who allowed one run in seven innings.

New York (63-52) is 11 games over. Later, it was their bullpen that got tagged. Although he gave up seven hits to the Mets, Happ walked only one and struck out seven in his five and a third innings, a perfectly credible fifth-starter performance.

The Pirates are now 8-7 in extra-inning games, a big improvement since April and May. Aramis Ramirez stretched the Pirates lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Collins initially said he thought that Parnell being booed was “part of it. The fans are caught up in what’s going on just as much and they hate losing”.

Juan Lagares opened the home 10th with a double to right, went to third on a wild pitch by Mark Melancon and scored on Curtis Granderson’s sacrifice fly.

Bobby Parnell [1-2] pitched the 10th inning for the Mets and allowed a leadoff single to Chris Stewart.

Parnell let the Mets down, giving up three consecutive singles to start the 10th, though he didn’t think any of them were particularly hard hit.

In the eighth, Watson cruised through the bottom of the order in 1-2-3 fashion, bringing Pittsburgh into the ninth with a 7-5 edge.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was pleased with what he saw Friday and said he pulled Happ with one on and the score tied in the sixth to ensure he’d head into his next start – scheduled for Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park – on a positive note. It makes me feel good about the scenario. “He’s been really good against us with what he does”.

The home run was Cespedes’ second as a Met and 20th overall this season. While Pittsburgh has won six of eight to remain six games behind National League Central-leading St. Louis, the Mets saw their seven-game home winning streak come to a halt with their third loss in 14 outings.

Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes after striking out Friday night against the Pirates. Cespedes, who was on first base at the time ran prior to the pitch so Alvarez may have saved a run.

Mets tenth. Melancon pitching.

Pirates: Marte was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight night. Starling Marte pinch-ran and Francisco Cervelli pinch-hit, and the substitutions worked. He is listed as day-to-day. “I certainly would have lost a big bet that we wouldn’t have scored a run that inning with those two guys coming up especially against a left-hand pitcher”. He hasn’t played in four games. “Kind of from that point my aggression was a little bit better, threw with a little bit more conviction and I was able to get out of there”.

Happ struck out Juan Uribe looking to end the first with Cespedes on second.