PITTSBURGH _ Zack Wheeler pitched well again Sunday afternoon, and when the lineup was failing to get him any runs, he went ahead and did that, too.
The Mets parlayed Wheeler's six scoreless innings with his RBI double into a 1-0 win over the Pirates.
Against the backdrop of the impending non-waiver trade deadline _ 4 p.m. ET Tuesday _ Wheeler sparkled. He walked none, struck out seven and scattered five hits (all singles) and walked one. His ERA dropped to 4.11, its lowest point since April. Wheeler has a 3.20 ERA the past two months.
Aside from scoreless outings from Seth Lugo (two innings) and Anthony Swarzak (one inning, save), the rest of the Mets contributed little. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. The Mets have two extra-base hits the past two games, and both are from pitchers, Wheeler on Sunday and Jacob deGrom on Saturday.
Wheeler hit his in the fifth inning. After Luis Guillorme singled on a grounder to shortstop with two outs, Wheeler sent a 1-and-1 fastball down in the zone into the right-field corner, scoring Guillorme from first.
Center fielder Austin Jackson went 2-for-3 with a walk in his first start as a Met.
Pittsburgh righty Joe Musgrove, who held the Mets hitless into the fifth, lasted seven innings.
