Conforto, Vargas lead Mets to sweep
NEW YORK >> Michael Conforto sparked New York’s offense with a two-run homer in a sixrun first inning against Chris Archer, and the Mets held on to beat the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 Sunday to match their longest winning streak this season at four games.
Jason Vargas (6-5) won a third straight start for the first time since last August, and the Mets completed a three-game sweep. New York improved to 10-5 since the All-Star break, passing Cincinnati, Colorado and Pittsburgh in the standings. The Mets (50-55) started Sunday six games back in the NL wild-card race with six teams in front.
Pittsburgh was 2½ games off the NL Central lead at the break but has lost 14 of 16, including eight in a row.
Given a 6-0 lead, Vargas allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He could be dangled by the Mets ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline along with fellow starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler.
Vargas, a 36-year-old lefthander, can become a free agent after the World Series unless his $8 million club option for 2020 is exercised. Wheeler can go free this fall but Syndergaard is far more valuable — he can’t become a free agent until after the 2021 season.
Jacob deGrom, Wheeler and Steven Matz got the victories earlier in the Mets’ streak. New York starting pitchers had not won four straight games since Robert Gsellman, Matt Harvey, Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero in September 2017.
New York led 8-3 in the ninth before Bryan Reynolds had a two-run homer off Tyler Bashlor and José Osuna hit a two-run drive against Edwin Díaz, who got the next two outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances.
Archer (3-8) allowed five hits and four walks in five innings, raising his ERA to 5.58. He is 0-3 in his last nine starts, 0-4 on the road this season and has allowed 25 home runs, second in the major leagues to 28 off Houston ace Justin Verlander. Archer is 28-47 since the start of 2016 after going 32-32 in his first four seasons.