A 3-13 slide has caused the New York Mets to go from being ahead by 5 1/2 games in the National League East to 1 1/2 games behind.

The Mets were outscored 30-4 in the series. The Pirates, who entered Sunday with the lowest run total in the National League (285), have scored 48 runs in their last seven games and scored at least nine in three straight games for the first time since Aug. 29-31, 2019, at Colorado.

In the end the Mets were left soggy. Blackburn got stomped right out of the delay and the lineup continued its pattern of disappointment in a 9-2 loss to the lowly Pirates at PNC Park, which later led to a players only team meeting. Mendoza wasn’t around to watch much of it from the dugout.