Mets’ NL East lead in jeopardy after ugly loss to anemic Pirates

PITTSBURGH — This schedule against last-place teams isn’t working out for the Mets, so maybe they need to play the Old Timers who appeared at Citi Field recently.

Other than one Brandon Nimmo swing in the seventh inning Tuesday night, the Mets were an ugly sight to behold offensively, continuing the doldrums from their series against the Nationals over the weekend. It led to a third straight loss, 8-2 to the Pirates at PNC Park.

The Mets had their NL East lead on Atlanta reduced to a half-game as the Braves prepared to play in Oakland later in the night. The Braves were attempting to reach first place for the first time this season.

Already trailing 4-2 in the eighth, the Mets sunk further into the hole when the Pirates blitzed Bryce Montes de Oca, in his second major league appearance, and Tommy Hunter for four runs. Hunter entered with two outs in the inning and surrendered a two-run blast to Oneil Cruz that reached the Allegheny River.

Eduardo Escobar walks to the dugout after striking out in the fifth inning of the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Pirates. Getty Images

The Mets’ offensive sluggishness included Pete Alonso hitting into two double plays and an 0-for-5 team performance with runners in scoring position.

The latest injury concern is Starling Marte, who departed the game an inning after he was drilled in the right hand by a Mitch Keller fastball. Marte will undergo imaging on the hand and be further evaluated Wednesday.

Oneil Cruz dives into home safely for a run as Taijuna Walker looks on during the Mets’ loss. Getty Images

After Keller blanked the Mets for six innings, Nimmo smashed a two-run homer in the seventh against Robert Stephenson that cut the Pirates’ lead to 4-2. James McCann delivered a two-out single — a second hit of the game for the offensively challenged catcher — before Nimmo went deep for homer No. 13 this season.

Taijuan Walker had a second straight subpar start, allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. It followed a performance against the Dodgers last week in which he surrendered three earned runs over 5 ¹/₃ innings in a no-decision (the Mets lost).

Buck Showalter AP

In his five August starts, Walker pitched to a 6.98 ERA, which included an outing against the Braves that ended after only one inning and eight runs allowed.

Walker hung a breaking ball in the third inning and watched Rodolfo Castro swat it off the right-field foul pole for a two-run homer that sunk the Mets in a 3-0 hole. The blast was Castro’s fourth in 11 career at-bats against the Mets.

In the fifth, Cruz scorched a double with one out and scored on Bryan Reynolds’ ensuing single. The Pirates had four hard-hit balls in the inning, including Ben Gamel’s line drive that Alonso snared for the third out.

Walker also allowed a run in the second inning on Michael Chavis’ sacrifice fly after consecutive singles by Kevin Newman and Jack Suwinski.