Mets falter again, fall to lowly Pirates; NL East now tied

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller scattered five hits over six shutout innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates sent the suddenly listless New York Mets to an 8-2 loss. The Mets are now tied with Atlanta for the NL East lead. The Mets failed to get a runner to third base against Keller while dropping their third straight. New York’s offense has struggled during the slide. The Mets have managed just four runs during the skid. Rodolfo Castro and Oneil Cruz each hit two-run home runs for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak.