NEW YORK — The Mets broke it open in the bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to a pair of elite outfielders showing they can do it with their bats too.
First, it was Tyrone Taylor, the reliable outfielder who hasn’t committed an error in his career, driving in two runs with a two-out single. Harrison Bader, the Gold Glove winner with the most outs above average (65) among outfielders since 2019, struck next, hitting a 106.3 mph fly ball down the left field line 392 feet for a two-run home run, giving the Mets a 6-1 lead.
The Mets’ 9-1 win over the Pirates in Citi Field represented the Amazins’s first sweep of the season. It was their fourth consecutive win making their record 10-8. Since starting the season 0-5, the Mets have gone 10-3.
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It all started in the third inning when the Mets continued to show resiliency. After the Pirates took a 1-0 lead on a Bryan Reynolds single in the top of the inning, New York answered right back. This time Starling Marte brought the Mets back, hitting a one-out two-run home run just over the outstretched glove of Pittsburgh centerfielder Jack Suwinski.
The Mets added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Francisco Alvarez hit a routine grounder to Pirates second baseman Alika Williams, who failed to throw Pete Alonso out at home. And then Brandon Nimmo added two more runs on a two-out single.
Mets pitchers continued to do their job, beginning with Luis Severino, who made his fourth start.
For the first time since 2022, Severino completed a fourth consecutive outing of at least five innings pitched. For the first time since 2018, he’s done it by allowing three or few runs in each of those starts.
Against the Pirates, Severino threw six innings, allowing just one unearned run on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander isn’t the perennial Cy Young Award candidate he was earlier in his Yankees career. He is quietly turning into one of the most reliable arms in the Mets rotation.
The biggest difference in Severino’s approach this season has been his ability to force groundballs. It has come with an increase in the use of the sinker, which he began throwing in 2022, and the cutter, which he started throwing in 2021. This season, the 30-year-old Dominican native is inducing more contact than ever (83.9%). He’s also forcing the highest groundball rate (53.3%) of his career.
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The Mets bullpen, which entered Wednesday’s game with a 1.2 fWAR, the best mark for a bullpen in MLB, continued its dominance. Between Jorge López, Jake Diekman and Grant Hartwig, Mets relievers pitched three innings without allowing a hit and striking out three batters.
New York is off on Thursday as they travel to the West Coast for a pair of three-game series against the Dodgers and the Giants.
Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.