Three straight: Wins for Mets, losses for Pirates

NEW YORK (AP) -- Steve Trachsel didn't want to put runners on base. He just wanted to pitch from the stretch.

Cliff Floyd and David Wright each drove in two runs to back Trachsel in the New York Mets' 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.

Trachsel (8-4) gave up seven hits and three runs, walked four and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings.

"I felt a lot better in the stretch. I think some of your most important pitches are made from the stretch and I do about half my bullpen in the stretch," Trachsel said. "I need to be more consistent from the windup but I'm still throwing well. There's a small adjustment I need to make. I'm close, a little bit better each time. All the pitches I threw [118], I still felt good and that says a lot for this time of year.

"I've always been I think sharper from the stretch. I wouldn't say they're better [pitches] but maybe more crisp and sharp," he said.

Billy Wagner allowed an unearned run the ninth for his 17th save in 21 opportunities.

"It was good enough to get it done tonight," he said. "I was able to spot my fastball ... overall it was all right."

Floyd doubled in two runs off Pirates rookie starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-1) in the second inning. Wright hit his 19th homer, a two-run shot, in the fifth.

Gorzelanny allowed a run without a hit in the third. Jose Reyes walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Delgado's infield out.

Gorzelanny hit Floyd with a pitch to lead off the fourth and then issued a one-out walk to Eli Marrero. Both runners advanced on Trachsel's sacrifice before Reyes singled to center to score both and make it 5-0.

"With a guy you haven't seen, you just try to go up there and be aggressive," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "I tell my guys not to give them [young pitchers] too much credit. Just try to be aggressive and attack. It's all about keeping it simple."

Both teams scored two runs in the fifth with the Pirates getting an RBI single from Jason Bay and an RBI double from Joe Randa. Wright homered in the bottom of the inning off reliever Jonah Bayliss after Delgado walked.

"I gave up two runs and Dave Wright hits a big two-run home run to get it back," Trachsel said. "That's the way it goes sometimes and I was happy to see it."

Wright is hoping the home run is "a good sign."

"I've been struggling a little bit lately," the All-Star starter said. "Going the other way with power, that's my game and I hope it continues."

Pittsburgh added a run in the seventh when Randa greeted reliever Aaron Heilman with an RBI single and another in the eighth on Freddy Sanchez's RBI double.

Gorzelanny allowed five runs and four hits in four hits, walking four without a strikeout.

"Tom's delivery, I think, was out of synch tonight," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "As a result of that, obviously, he struggled some with his command. They dug a hole for us, it was fairly deep. As we've done all year long, we kept battling, we kept taking at-bats. We got back to close enough to where we brought the tying run to the plate. We tried, we just came up a little bit short.

Gorzelanny couldn't help pointing out the third inning as the turning point for him.

"It was one of those games I couldn't get back to where I wanted to be in," he said. "After that inning, it was hit and miss."

Game notes
Trachsel improved to 5-8 against the Pirates although he had not pitched against Pittsburgh since April 17, 2004. He last beat the Pirates on Sept. 24, 2003. ... Reyes raised his NL-leading stolen base total to 39, stealing second in both the third and fourth innings. ... Gorzelanny made his second start this season, having gone five innings in a no-decision against Detroit on July 1.