NEW YORK _ Mets manager Terry Collins has spent much of this season under duress, forced to play games of bullpen roulette.
Some of his troubles have been self-inflicted, a result of his overreliance on the few who have produced consistent results. But some of those issues have been out of control, just as they were on Saturday night, when another pedestrian effort by a Mets starter forced the bullpen to step up again.
This time, Collins didn't bother consulting matchups. He didn't scour spreadsheets for statistical splits. With six outs to go to secure a victory against the Pirates, he simply placed the ball in his closer's hands and hoped for the best. And it worked.
For the first time this season, Addison Reed notched a multi-inning save, recording the final six outs in the Mets' 4-2 victory against the Pirates at Citi Field.
It required a season-high 36 pitches from Reed, and a sliding catch on the dirt in foul territory by Lucas Duda. But a well-rested Reed proved up to the task, nailing down his seventh save.
The Mets (24-30) started play 11 games back of the Nationals in the NL East and nine games out of the wild card, trailing four other clubs. For the fourth time this season, they found themselves seven games under .500, their lowest point.
Only a victory would keep the Mets from hitting their lowest point.
Neil Walker, Jay Bruce and Wilmer Flores each hit homers for the Mets. But the game followed a familiar path, with a laboring starter leaving the bullpen to carry a heavy load.
This time the starter was Robert Gsellman, who departed with one out in the sixth inning and the Mets leading 4-2. Though Gsellman threw 109 pitches and scattered seven hits while striking out six, he lasted only 51/3 innings, continuing what has been a tough stretch for a rotation that had shown signs of getting its act together.
Beginning with deGrom on May 26, Mets starters strung together a run of four straight outings of at least six innings. But they have reverted, failing to reach that benchmark for the fourth time in their last five games.
The Mets went ahead 2-0 in the first on Walker's seventh homer of the season.
It's not exactly Daniel Murphy against the Mets, but Walker continued to show a knack for punishing the team that once gave him his start. The two-run homer was his fourth career homer against his hometown Pirates.
Walker began the day hitting .333 in eight games against the Pirates, who traded him to the Mets in exchange for pitcher Jonathon Niese prior to the 2016 season. The homer extended a streak for Walker, who has a hit in each of his nine career games against the Pirates.
The Pirates clawed back to tie it against Gsellman. Josh Bell hit a solo shot in the second inning before Gregory Polanco grounded out to score Adam Frazier in the third.
But the Mets didn't wait to answer. Bruce clobbered a solo shot in the third inning, his 13th homer of the year. And in the fourth, Flores made the most of his fourth consecutive start at third base, slamming his fifth homer of the season against Pirates righty Tyler Glasnow.
Up 4-2, Collins charged the Mets bullpen with protecting the lead once Gsellman was bounced with one down in the sixth.
Righty Fernando Salas took over for Gsellman with runners on first and just one out. But Salas fanned Elias Diaz and got pinch-hitter Jose Osuna to fly out and end the threat.
Lefty Jerry Blevins followed in the seventh, extending his brilliant season by tossing a scoreless frame and lowering his ERA to 1.42. He did by surviving a two-out error by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, whose throw to first base was wide.
With six outs to go, Collins dispensed with matchups, turning the ball over to the closer Reed.
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