Harvey Struggles, Pirates Drub Mets 8-2

A.J. Burnett threw seven effective innings to win his fourth straight start and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed New York Mets ace Matt Harvey the worst loss of his career in an 8-2 victory Saturday.

The anticipated showdown between two of the top pitchers in the National League never materialized. Burnett (4-1) allowed one run while striking out a season-high 10 without a walk.

Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez homered and each drove in two runs for the Pirates.

Harvey (5-2) lasted only four innings, the shortest outing of his career. He gave up a career-worst seven runs on six hits and also threw two wild pitches, matching the number he had all of the 2013 season.

New York has dropped four of five. Daniel Murphy had two hits, and Ruben Tejada homered for the Mets.

Burnett began the day with the second-best ERA in baseball at 1.38, while Harvey was riding a 16-inning scoreless streak that dropped his to 1.98 in his comeback from elbow surgery that forced him to miss all of 2014. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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