DJ Stewart homered twice and finished with three RBIs on Wednesday afternoon for the host New York Mets, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3 in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Mets improved to 5-11 this month. The Pirates have lost six of their last nine games.

Francisco Lindor’s two-run single closed out a three-run second inning and Brandon Nimmo added an RBI single in the fourth. Pete Alonso homered and Rafael Ortega had a run-scoring single in the seventh.

Tylor Megill (7-6) surrendered two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five over five innings. Relievers Phil Bickford, Brooks Raley, Trevor Gott and Adam Ottavino combined on four innings of two-hit ball.

Nimmo drew two walks while Ortega had a double, a single and a walk. The Mets drew eight walks on the day.

Bryan Reynolds homered for the Pirates and Alika Williams laced a sixth-inning RBI single. Ke’Bryan Hayes finished with two hits.

Pirates starter Johan Oviedo (6-13) gave up four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out three over four-plus innings.

Stewart opened the scoring by homering with one out in the second. Omar Narvaez followed with a double and Ortega walked. Jonathan Arauz struck out and Nimmo worked a walk before Lindor’s two-run single.

The Pirates immediately answered in the third, when Hayes hit a leadoff double and Reynolds homered to left-center field.

Oviedo was pulled after issuing a leadoff walk to Alonso in the fifth. Alonso was caught stealing, but Ryan Borucki issued a two-out walk to Daniel Vogelbach before Stewart homered again.

Connor Joe led off the sixth by singling against Bickford and took second when Alfonso Rivas was plunked by a pitch before scoring on Williams’ single.

Alonso opened the seventh by greeting Jose Hernandez with a homer to left. Jeff McNeil walked, went to third when Rivas misplayed Narvaez’s two-out grounder to first and scored on Ortega’s bloop single.

–Field Level Media