PITTSBURGH _ Ninety-eight pitches into his night, Steven Matz sprinted to the mound for the bottom of the sixth, the only Met on the field for several seconds as if to leave no doubt that, yes, this inning would be his. Catcher Devin Mesoraco eventually joined him, as did the defense behind him, and Matz followed with his quickest frame of the game: three batters, eight pitches, three outs.
It was far from a perfect night for Matz in the Mets' 12-6 win over the Pirates, but Asdrubal Cabrera (3-for-5, four RBIs, three extra-base hits) and the rest of the offense backed him up plenty.
Despite a high pitch count throughout _ including 72 pitches through three innings and 87 after four _ Matz managed to get through six frames and strike out nine, tying his career high. Matz allowed four runs, three hits and two walks. David Freese burned him for a two-run home run in the first, Josh Harrison for a two-run shot in the third. In between and after, Matz was hardly hittable, retiring his final 10 batters.
Amid questions about his rotation-mates and their Mets futures, Matz (5-8) has emerged as a consistent presence in the starting five, posting a 3.79 ERA and 1.26 WHIP _ while remaining healthy, a rarity for him.
As far as manager Mickey Callaway is concerned, this version of Matz is close to the one he envisioned when he joined the Mets.
"Obviously we feel like he can be one of the better lefthanders in the league," Callaway said. "The consistency that we've seen lately from him, he's showing that.
"We're really happy with the progress he's made. We're happy with his work. He's always been a worker. I think he's working on a lot of the right things that (pitching coach Dave Eiland) has really helped implement. It's been fun to watch. He's been really, really good out there. It's been fun."
But Callaway insisted Matz isn't a finished product, because no pitcher is _ especially the best ones.
"That's what the elite feed off of. They want to always get better," Callaway said. "Matzy is definitely one of those types. He's never going to be satisfied. Maybe if he throws a perfect game, he will be for the day. And then he'll get back after it. That's a real good quality to have."
Opposite Matz, Pittsburgh right-hander Nick Kingham presented the Mets with no issues. He recorded nine outs and allowed six runs. The Pirates' bullpen also allowed six runs in six innings.
Matz twice blew two-run leads, but the lineup blew it open late.
Jeff McNeil, making his first major-league start, finished 1-for-2 but reached base four times, with two walks (one intentional) and a hit by pitch. Wilmer Flores went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, and Amed Rosario and Jose Bautista had two hits apiece.
Every starting Mets position player reached base by the top of the fourth inning.
