The Mets play the second game of a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at PNC Park.

Mets notes

The Mets have won three games in a row for the first time since June 16-18. They have not won four in a row since May 18-21. ... As a team, the Mets' .229 batting average ranks second-worst in the majors. ... Robert Gsellman has allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits in 7 1/3 innings over his last six relief appearances.

Mets RHP Seth Lugo allowed three runs (one earned), four hits and three walks in five innings in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field.

Lugo (2-3) threw 99 pitches, his second-most this season, largely because of three errors that prolonged innings.

Third baseman Luis Guillorme, who came up in the minors as a shortstop, made two errors that led to two unearned runs, while second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera made an error on a grounder in a 22-pitch fifth inning that effectively ended Lugo's night.

The Mets (31-44) begin a three-game series against the Pirates (36-41) on Monday at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m.

Mets Notes...

The Mets have 20 homers in their last 16 games, and 34 homers in their last 29 games. ... The Mets are 5-2 on Mondays this year. ... Asdrubal Cabrera hit his 13th homer in Sunday's game against the Dodgers. He leads the Mets in that category so far this season. ... Jose Bautista has a .476 OBP since joining the Mets on May 22.

The Yankees and Pirates are reportedly "nowhere" near a deal that would be centered around RHP Gerrit Cole, according to reporter Bob Klapisch.

New York and Pittsburgh have been engaged in trade talks for weeks, and the Yankees have been interested in acquiring Cole since last year's trade deadline, however while both sides had previously expressed confidence a deal could be completed, according to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, talks have cooled.

The Pirates had reportedly asked the Yankees about top infield prospect Gleyber Torres, however the Yankees had reportedly preferred 23-year-old outfielder Clint Frazier being the centerpiece of the trade. New York likely would have needed to trade another prospect as well in a deal, whether it be third baseman Miguel Andujar or RHP Chance Adams.

The Yankees and Pirates are still discussing a potential deal for RHP Gerrit Cole but the Pirates are talking to "multiple other clubs" as it's not "Yankees or bust," according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, who says a deal "doesn't appear imminent."

This is yet another twist in the Yankees' pursuit of Cole. Thursday, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan reporting Thursday night indicating a deal being completed was "a matter of when rather than if." 

The Yankees and Pirates have expressed confidence they can complete a deal, according to Passan, however no trade package is complete and the two sides appear to differ on which player would be the centerpiece of a potential trade. The Yankees still appear to be favorites to land Cole, though they have competition. 

Mets manager Terry Collins said he was disappointed by his team's pitching staff after Sunday's 11-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, their fourth in the past five games, dropped New York to seven games under .500.

"We haven't pitched," Collins said, according to Newsday's Mark Hermann. "We haven't pitched like we can. This game is about pitching."

The Mets gave up 11 runs (nine earned) and 15 hits on Sunday, as their 4.91 team ERA ranks among the worst in the majors. By comparison, the Mets ranked third in team ERA last year and fourth in 2015, when they made it to the World Series.

Mets outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson both went 3-for-5 and extended their hitting streaks to six and five games, respectively, in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Bruce is hitting .333 with two home runs and seven RBIs since May 21 to raise his batting average by 13 points and his OPS by 38 points.

His two-run double highlighted the Mets' three-run fifth inning that gave the Mets a 5-1 lead. Bruce also doubled in the first inning, singled in the fourth and made a sliding catch to his right to rob Jordy Mercer of a potential extra-base hit to end the sixth inning.

Mets RHP Matt Harvey recorded his first quality start since April 21 in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

"I'm very encouraged," manager Terry Collins said. "He doesn't have to throw 97 [mph] to get people out, I think he showed that. ... This has got to be a huge boost to his confidence."

Harvey (4-3) struck out four batters and gave up one run and six hits in six innings of work, pitching into and out of trouble in the middle innings. In fact, three of his strikeouts ended two Pirates' threats.

Mets outfielder Jay Bruce went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to six games in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Bruce is hitting .333 with two home runs and seven RBIs since May 21 to raise his batting average by 13 points and his OPS by 38 points.

His two-run double highlighted the Mets' three-run fifth inning that gave the Mets a 5-1 lead. Bruce also doubled in the first inning and singled in the fourth.

His presence was felt in the field as well, as he made a sliding catch to his right to rob Jordy Mercer of a potential extra-base hit to end the sixth inning.

The Mets (20-27) will try to take the rubber game of their three-game series against the Pirates (23-27) on Sunday at 8:08 p.m. at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Mets lost to the Pirates in extra innings on Saturday night, 5-4.

As the Yankees organization debates whether to become buyers or sellers, trade rumors surround the team. Here is a rundown of the most recent reports surrounding the New York Yankees:

Cubs

Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York says the Yankees could target Cubs' first base prospect Dan Vogelbach in a deal for Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller. The Cubs have been openly seeking bullpen help throughout the season, especially wanting a lefty, causing months of rumors linking the two teams.

A day after nearly getting no-hit, the New York Mets erupted for 11 runs and a season-high 19 hits in an 11-2 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on Wednesday.

"I give [hitting coach Kevin Long] and [assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler] some credit," manager Terry Collins said after the game. "They got the guys together before the game tonight, talked about the approaches at the plate, and they took it into the game and applied it and you saw some better results."

Collins and the Mets were shut out and nearly no hit in Tuesday's 4-0 loss.

Mets rookie third baseman Ty Kelly hit his first-career home run Wednesday at PNC Park.

After getting ahead of the count 3-1, Kelly crushed the pitch off Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon, their top prospect who made his MLB debut, over the right-field fence to tie the game at 2 in the fourth inning.

"It was exciting," Kelly said, according to NJ.com's Maria Guardado. "I was happy to just hit a home run or just get a hit in the first place. It was a bigger deal because of the score and everything. That was the first thought that went into my head, was tied it up. Just made it that much more fun."

Mets LHP Steven Matz lost his first game since April 11, laboring through five innings in a 3-1 loss to the Pirates during the first game of a doubleheader at PNC Park on Tuesday.

Matz allowed two runs, eight hits and two walks in five innings, his shortest outing since he was pulled in the second inning of his season debut. He threw 58 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

"I had nothing out there today," Matz said after the game.

If Mets 2B Neil Walker was disappointed by being traded from the Pirates to the Mets, it hasn't shown in his performance. Walker returns to his hometown for the first time since being dealt for Jon Niese, who'll also make his debut against his former club in Monday night's opener of a three-game series.

In need of shedding salary and adding an experienced arm to the rotation, the Pirates sent Walker to the Mets for Niese in December. The Pittsburgh native was his hometown team's first-round pick in 2004 and spent the previous six seasons as their starting second baseman.

The New York Yankees have two split-squad games on Tuesday. One group will face the Philadelphia Phillies on the road at 1:05 p.m. ET, and the other group will face the Pittsburgh Pirates at home at 1:05 p.m. ET.

In Clearwater:

When and where: 1:05 p.m. at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida

Who's pitching for the Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka will start for the Yankees.

The Mets announced they have acquired 2B Neil Walker from the Pirates in return for LHP Jon Niese.

In 151 games at second base for the Pirates last season, Walker, 30, hit .269 with a .328 OBP, 16 HR, 32 doubles, four stolen bases and a .427 slugging percentage. 

Walker will likely earn $10.7 million in 2016, after which he is eligible to be a free agent, according to a projection from MLB Trade Rumors. Niese will be paid $9 million in 2015, after which he has consecutive team options that can be bought out for $500,000.