PITTSBURGH — Luis Severino’s bad night got worse after he was fired Friday with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
Alternate Jake Diegman hasn’t thrown enough strikes this season.
This time Dickman’s sin, Brian Reynolds crushed it for a grand slam to deliver the knockout punch in the Mets’ 14-2 rout of the Pirates at PNC Park.
But Mets relievers weren’t done pouring gasoline and lighting matches: Ty Adcock surrendered three homers in the eighth, including a grand slam to Rowdy Telles.
The Mets used catcher Lewis Torrance to get the final out of the inning.
Three of the homers on the night came against Severino, whose worst game of the season included seven runs allowed on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Yasmani Crandall and Michael A. Taylor struck out Adcock in the eighth before Telles’ grand slam (his second homer of the game).
The Pirates tied a club record with their seven homers.
A two-run home run by New York Mets starter Luis Severino
Fifth innings. AP
The Mets lost their third straight — their longest losing streak since a three-game sweep by the Dodgers in late May — and fell two games below .500.
If the Mets’ brutal pitching performance wasn’t enough, there was also the matter of Paul Skeens.
The Mets were introduced to the stud rookie and became the latest team to be underwhelmed by his high-octane arsenal.
Skanes (5-0) got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 37,037 after allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.
New York met during the third inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of 10 starts to start his major league career.
Jeff McNeil jumped on an 0-2 fastball from Skenes in the third inning to launch it for a leadoff homer that provided the Mets’ first run.
The homer was the fifth of the season for McNeil, who went deep to start the series against the Astros the previous Friday.
Pete Alonso hit a leadoff double in the fourth to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Francisco Alvarez was in great discomfort after a 99-mph fastball punctured his left elbow, but remained in the game. Alonso took third on DJ Stewart’s fly to right and scored on Jose Iglesias’ RBI fielder’s choice.
But the Pirates beat Severino in the bottom of the inning with homers from Delis and Jack Suwinksi to tie the game 2-2.
Telles crushed the 425-foot conversion to give the Pirates their first run. After one exit, Swinski hit the right seats at 96-mph.
In the fifth, Severino allowed his third homer of the night: Reynolds followed a walk to Joshua Policios with a shot over the right-center fence to put the Mets in a 4-2 hole.
It was the first time Severino surrendered three homers in a game this season.
