PITTSBURGH —

The New York Mets missed out on a chance to even their record. Their manager wants them to set their sights higher.

James McDonald allowed two runs in six effective innings, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

New York (31-33) had won five of six coming in but failed to pull to .500 for only the second time since losing seven in a row following a 4-4 start.

“That’s not a goal, to get to .500,” Collins said. “Our goal is to win and win and win and to get above .500 – that’s our goal. We keep looking at the .500 mark; if we play good baseball, we’ll get there and beyond. But it can’t be, ‘Let’s just get to .500,’ because that’s not where you really want to be.”

McDonald worked around eight hits and three walks, allowing two runs.

He outdueled R.A. Dickey (3-7), who had his fifth consecutive effective outing. Dickey pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

The Mets are 26-20 since a 5-13 start and have won eight of 13.

“I really believe if we can just get over .500 that you’ll see us take off,” Dickey said. “Getting past the barrier would be very important for this team.”

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, and Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Baseball’s leading hitter, Jose Reyes had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each added two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

McDonald (4-4) entered with a 1.09 ERA in the seven previous games he had won with Pittsburgh since being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers last July.

“Even when I got in good counts, they were able to get decent swings on the ball, but the defense was able to pick me up,” McDonald said.

“It was outstanding defense. … They made some great plays behind me, and that was really, really big for me today.”

Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

“The one thing that I really feel good about is that these guys have grasped the idea of pitch and play defense,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Find ways to score on offense, but pitch and play defense. It makes for a good game.”

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp grounder to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

“That’s an error – no disrespect to Dan Murphy at all; he’s a good player,” Collins said. “A very good player. He’ll make that play the next 10 times it’s hit at him. Every time. No doubt in my mind.”

Mets slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center – right at McCutchen.

“I’m glad he’s back,” Collins said.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center – the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

“I wanted to score from there,” Pagan said, “but right field is so short in this park that you have to hope for a bad bounce to have an opportunity to score on that ball. (Jones) fielded it cleanly and I didn’t have a chance.”

NOTES: A fan favorite here but part of teams that all finished last or next-to-last, Bay received mostly cheers – but some boos – during his first plate appearance at PNC Park since being traded in 2008. … Reyes, who turned 28 Saturday, leads the majors in hits.

PITTSBURGH —
James McDonald allowed two runs in six effective innings, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday night.

Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison each had two hits and a scored a run against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Garrett Jones had an RBI double among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which had lost its previous two.

Baseball’s leading hitter, Jose Reyes had two hits and Ruben Tejada and Carlos Beltran each also had two hits for the Mets. New York lost for the second time in seven games.

Drawn partly by a postgame fireworks show and Huey Lewis concert, the Pirates drew 39,273, their fourth sellout of the season and third-largest crowd in PNC Park’s 11-year history.

McDonald (4-4) allowed eight hits and three walks. Tim Wood pitched a scoreless seventh, Jose Veras struck out Ronny Paulino looking with runners on second and third to end the eighth and Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save in as many opportunities.

The runs that proved the difference came in the third on a two-out hit by McCutchen with Tabata at second and Harrison at first. McCutchen was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Dickey May 31, and he grounded back to him into a double play in the first inning Saturday.

But his sharp groudner to third bounced and deflected off of David Murphy’s glove. Murphy attempted to backhand the ball, and it slowly trickled into left, easily allowing Tabata and Harrison to score.

Dickey (3-7) had his fifth consecutive effective outing, pitching a complete game. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings.

The Mets’s slumping outfielder Jason Bay was back in the lineup against his former team after manager Terry Collins gave him two days off to get away from the game and work on his swing.

Bay went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. He singled to center in the fourth, his first hit in 25 at-bats. With a runner on and one out in the eighth, he hit a hard line drive to center – right at McCutchen.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada scored on Murphy fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it in the second on Jones’ double into the deepest part of the ballpark, left-center – the Pirates’ first extra-base hit in 21 innings.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but Dickey grounded softly in a double play.

In the eighth, Lucas Duda doubled into the right field corner with Angel Pagan on first. But Pagan was held at third. Paulino followed by striking out.

—
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In honor of the New York Mets 50th season and the 25th anniversary of the last Mets World Championship team, I bring you the All-50th Anniversary team.

Fifty years have brought many great memories and even more not so great ones for Mets fans like me. There was Ron Swoboda making “the catch” in the 1969 World Series. There was the “black cat” game against the Cubs in ’69. Davey Johnson flying out, touching off the wild celebration after winning the World Series against the Orioles.

There was also beating the powerful Reds in 1973 to win the National League pennant. Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose duking it out at second base.

There was the day Tom Seaver was traded to the Reds in 1977.

Then there was watching a championship team start to take shape in 1984. Watching the rookie phenom Dwight Gooden make NL hitters look silly.

There was the huge disappointment of 1985, losing to St. Louis on the last weekend of the season and missing the playoffs.

Then there was 1986. The 16-inning game against the Astros to clinch the pennant and the miracle rally in Game 6 against the Red Sox. The ball going through Buckner’s legs. The wild celebration at home plate. Another wild celebration two nights later after Jesse Orosco struck out Spike Owen and left Wade Boggs crying in the dugout.

There was Davey Johnson leaving Gooden in one inning too long against the Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS. There was Scioscia’s homer. There was Gibson’s catch.

There was Robin Ventura’s ‘grand slam single” in the 1999 NLCS. There was Pratt’s walk-off HR to beat Arizona in the Division Series. There was the amazing comeback from being down 3-0 to the Braves and nearly forcing a Game 7 after being down 6-0 in Game 6, rallying to take the lead.

There was Beating the hated Cardinals in 2000. There was losing to the hated Yankees in 2000.

There was Mike Piazza hitting a walk off to beat the Braves the game after 9-11.

There was Endy’s catch in Game 7 in 2006. There was Beltran watching strike three with the bases loaded to end Game 7.

These are the greatest players at each position in New York Mets history in this Mets fan’s opinion. Hope you enjoy.

Fans of the New York Mets want Jose Reyes to stay. He is young, energetic and immensely talented and would be a cornerstone of any franchise. Unfortunately, the Mets will be better off if they let him go.

Picture you are the general manager of a major league franchise. You have a 27-year-old middle infielder who is one of the fastest players in baseball. He just had one of the best years of his career. He raised his batting average to well over .300, became an All-Star and a Gold Glover and even earned a few MVP votes. He has led the league in stolen bases a few times and cemented himself as a premier leadoff hitter in baseball.

You have to keep that guy around right?

Well, that player was Luis Castillo in 2003. Even more, Castillo helped lead his team to a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins. Fast-forward five years and he is now batting .245 for the Mets and can barely field his position. I am not saying that Jose Reyes will automatically fall as fast as Castillo did, but it is important to remember to be weary of players who build their careers based on speed.

The key to this situation is value. Throughout the decade, the Mets have gotten into trouble by signing free agents at the height of their value. Francisco Rodriguez had just broken the major league record in saves, Carlos Beltran tied the major league record of postseason home runs and Jason Bay was coming off the best year of his career. Omar Minaya gave these players long-term contracts and so far they have failed to meet their unrealistic expectations.

Right now, Jose Reyes is at the peak of his value. He is currently leading the National League with a .340 batting average and has a ridiculous 11 triples. As dynamic a player as Reyes is, it is unrealistic to believe he can keep these kinds of numbers up. For once, the Mets should take advantage of immediate value and attempt to get long-term value.

Reyes’ suitors include contending teams like the Red Sox, Reds and Angels, which could help the Mets bring back quality prospects for the shortstop. The most intriguing team to me is the San Francisco Giants. They can give the Mets 21-year-old LHP Maidson Bumgarner and/or 23-year-old OF Brandon Belt. Either of these players would help the Mets in the future, and they are already major league ready.

The biggest problem that will come from trading Jose Reyes will be the backlash from the fanbase. Mets fans have already grown tired of the administration and attendance has been down throughout the season. However, the fans should accept that the current team is not yet a contender. By the time the pieces are in place to succeed, Reyes and maybe even David Wright will be past their primes. If they can replace one of these stars with multiple pieces that can help them in a few years, the Mets should jump at the opportunity.

New Yorkers are not patient by nature. They do not want to wait to see their team rebuild and they especially don’t want to see them lose a superstar in his prime.

Nevertheless, Sandy Alderson was brought here not for one year, but to help create a championship team. This year’s draft showed that the team is not interested in fillers, but future championship pieces. With the return they get from the trade, they will hopefully add even more of those pieces. In a few years the franchise will be better off than having an aging, expensive Jose Reyes.

New York Mets rookie pitcher Dillon Gee pitched eight solid innings against the Pirates to move to 7-0 on the season. Despite his success at every level, most so-called experts keep expecting the 21^st round draft pick to fail.

Major league franchises spend millions of dollars on advanced scouting. In the draft, they look for “tools” in position players and “stuff” in pitchers. This means they want to see the players who show the ability to possibly succeed at the major league, while more times than not ignoring the intangibles that actually creates success.

While any team would love a pitcher who can throw a 97 mph fastball, there are plenty of pitchers who succeed with off-speed pitches and control. Dillon Gee is one of those pitchers. He does not do any one thing great, but he can throw up to four pitches with very good control, and it adds up to a great combination.

After being drafted in the 21^st round out of Texas-Arlington, Gee moved quickly up the minor league ranks. Starting in short season Brooklyn and moving up to Triple-A Buffalo in just two seasons, Gee was still not considered a prospect. He was never listed on Baseball America’s top 10 Mets’ prospects. Most scouts considered him to be a “4A Player,” someone who does well in Triple-A but will never have success in the big leagues.

None of this seemed to discourage Gee. When he finally received his chance last September after leading the International League in strikeouts, he performed masterfully. In five starts he pitched to a 2.18 ERA. But in baseball, players have short periods of success all the time. The water usually levels and those who are undeserving will eventually fall back to earth, right? Well someone needs to remind a certain pitcher about this.

This offseason, the Mets signed Chris Young and Chris Capuano to fill out the back end of the rotation. Dillon Gee once again remained silent and waited for his opportunity, which came in the form of a season-ending injury to Chris Young. The Texas native has not looked back.

The New York Mets have had a lot of things go wrong this year. Between injuries, poor performance on the field and an owner who cannot do anything right, the team needs something good to pick up the spirits. Dillon Gee has been that something, and the Mets have responded by winning in all nine of his starts this season.

After tonight, Gee is now 7-0 with a 3.05 ERA to go along with a K/BB ratio of over 2:1. If he pitches six or more innings in his next start he will qualify for the ERA title and all post-season awards. With stats like these, it would be hard to argue against him ending the season with a Rookie of the Year trophy.

Few scouts could have predicted this success a few years ago or even at the beginning of the season. Dillon Gee still does not seem to care.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Although rookie Dillon Gee(notes) may not be perfect his record
still is.

Gee remained undefeated, Jose Reyes(notes) homered among his three hits and the New
York Mets won for the fifth time in six games, 8-1 over the Pittsburgh Pirates
on Friday night.

Gee became the first Mets’ rookie starter to improve to 7-0, and New York
has won all nine of his starts. He allowed one run and eight hits in a
career-high eight innings with no walks and five strikeouts.

“He really pitched great again,” Mets manager Terry Collins said before
deadpanning, “but we finally figured out a flaw: He can’t bunt. We’ve got to
work on that.”

Gee bunting into a force play during New York’s five-run fourth inning
aside, he won his fifth straight outing and is the majors’ first rookie starter
to open 7-0 since 2006, when Jered Weaver(notes) started 9-0 for the Los Angeles
Angels.

Gee has allowed one earned run or less in three of his past five starts and
has allowed only one run over his past two outings combined.

“I can’t say enough good things about the job he’s done on that mound,
controlling his emotions, keeping himself in the game and just making pitches,”
Collins said. “He’s been really amazing to watch.”

Gee also beat the Pirates on May 30 in New York.

“I was hoping we would adjust better this time,” Pittsburgh manager Clint
Hurdle said. “He’s 7-0 now. He got us twice. He’s in a good place right now.
You’re going to have to beat him by stretching at-bats out and we weren’t able
to do that.”

Reyes and Josh Thole(notes) went 3 for 5, and Angel Pagan(notes) had two hits and scored
twice for New York.

The Pirates’ Charlie Morton(notes) had his worst start of the season—though he
was the victim of some infield hits, shoddy defense and bad bounces. Morton
(6-3) lasted a season-low four-plus innings, allowing seven runs (six earned)
and nine hits.

“Charlie didn’t throw ball that bad,” Pirates second baseman Neil Walker(notes)
said. “We made a couple of errors to put some runners in scoring position and
that made it tougher on him. You just have to mark it down as a bad day for
us.”

Pittsburgh has lost two straight since reaching .500 in June for the first
time since 2005.

Six of the first seven Mets to come to bat in the fourth had hits, including
RBI singles by Lucas Duda(notes) and Thole and a two-run single by Justin Turner(notes).

Recalled from the minors on Friday, Duda added a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Reyes, who made his major league debut exactly eight years ago as a
19-year-old, had a 12-game hitting streak snapped on Thursday. He singled twice
and hit his second homer, leading off the sixth with a line drive over the
21-foot wall in right.

“I was a little concerned about him (when the streak ended Thursday),”
Collins joked. “I told him today I was taking a chance putting him back in
there.”

The Mets scored an unearned run in the first inning after loading the bases
without a hit. Pagan’s groundout scored Turner.

Pittsburgh began the bottom of the inning with three consecutive singles.
Andrew McCutchen(notes) drove in Jose Tabata(notes), but from that point through the seventh,
Gee faced only one over the minimum.

It was the second consecutive game in which the Pirates did not have an
extra-base hit.

That continued a trend by Gee, who has allowed nine extra-base hits in his
nine starts—and he still hasn’t shown his best stuff, he said.

“There’s definitely still a lot of work to be done, I feel like,” Gee
said.

“I don’t want to look into (the streak) too much,” he added. “I
definitely feel like I’m gaining more confidence every time out. But it’s hard
work here, and I have to keep working to maintain where I’m at and gain a little
better, too.”

Notes: The teams opened their second four-game series against each other
over the past 12 days. … Pirates SS Ronny Cedeno’s(notes) error in the first inning
snapped a 44-game errorless streak. … Mets OF Jason Bay(notes) was given a second
consecutive day off as he works to break an 0-for-23 slump. Bay, PNC Park’s
all-time leader in home runs and RBIs, played for the Pirates from 2003-08. He
has yet to play against his former team, but Collins said he will be in the
lineup on Saturday.