The Associated Press Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (45) hands the ball to manager Derek Shelton as he heads to the dugout during the ninth inning on Sunday.

PITTSBURGH — Francisco Lindor hit a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning against Aroldis Chapman for his third hit of the game, rallying the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Nick Gonzales had a two-run single in the eighth off Edwin Diaz (3-1) to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead, but the Mets rebounded and again reached .500 at 44-44.

“Huge team win,” New York manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We finally scored one. Then, we lost the lead. And then, the at-bats in the ninth, unbelievable.”

Chapman (1-4) walked Francisco Alvarez leading off the ninth and gave up Harrison Bader’s single. Chapman threw called third strikes past Mark Vientos and Luis Torrens, threw a wild pitch and walked Jose Iglesias.

Lindor pulled a 1-1 slider into left field to reach for the fourth time on an afternoon that included two singles, a double and a walk.

Chapman, who has moved to closer with David Bednar sidelined since June 23 with a strained left oblique muscle, blew a save for the third time in six chances. Chapman’s 40 pitches were his most since 42 for Cincinnati on Sept. 15, 2015.

“He does throw really hard. I think he’s throwing harder now than when I faced him a bunch of times before,” Lindor said of Chapman, who topped 100 mph with 11 pitches. “I’ve faced him probably eight to 10 times and he’s been on the winning side most of them. Today, it was my turn.”

Chapman’s five career blown saves facing the Mets are his most against any team.

“He got ahead in counts,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He had Alvarez 0-2 to start the inning and walked him. He had Iglesias 1-2. We were a pitch away from the game being over. Overall command of the fastball was the biggest thing.”

Diaz (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth. He replaced Dedniel Núñez with two on and two outs in the eighth, walked pinch-hitter Joshua Palacios and allowed Gonzales’ single on a first-pitch slider for his fifth blown save in 13 chances. Diaz got a save Saturday in his first appearance after a 10-game suspension for using a banned foreign grip.

Brandon Nimmo gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the eighth with a two-out RBI double off Colin Holderman.

Mets starter Sean Manaea allowed two hits in six innings, striking out striking out six and walking three. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz gave up four hits in six innings.

“It’s the beautiful thing about baseball,” Manaea said of the final two innings. “You can be on the edge of your seat the whole time. You can be down in the dumps. Then, it can bring you back up.”

Trainer’s room

Pirates: LHP Bailey Falter was placed on the 15-day iIL with left triceps tendonitis. … LHP Justin Bruihl was designated for assignment to make room for RHP Brent Honeywell Jr., whose contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. … C Henry Davis (concussion) had his rehab assignment end, was activated from the IL and was optioned to Indianapolis. … RHP David Bednar (strained left oblique muscle) threw 21 pitches in a simulated game and could be close to either returning to the active roster or going to the minor leagues for a brief rehab assignment. … RHP Daulton Jefferies (right elbow discomfort) was placed on the 15-day injured list and RHP Ryder Ryan was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Saturday’s game

Luis Torrens had three hits, including a three-run double, and Diaz got the save after his 10-game suspension ended earlier in the day as the New York Mets defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Saturday.

Torrens hit his double in the third inning to the deepest part of the park at the 410-foot sign in left-center to break a scoreless tie. The catcher also singled twice as the Mets snapped a three-game losing streak.

A night earlier, Torrens was used in mop-up relief in the Mets’ 14-2 loss to the Pirates.

“Anytime I can contribute to the team both offensively and defensively, I’m happy to do that,” Torrens said.

Torrens was playing at Triple-A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when the Mets purchased his contract from the New York Yankees on May 31. He is hitting .317 in 15 games as Francisco Alvarez’s backup.

“He’s been great not only offensively getting timely hits but the way he handles the pitching staff, making those guys feel really good about themselves, making adjustments when needed, communicating with the pitching coaches, the game planning,” Mendoza said.

Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save in 12 opportunities. Diaz was suspended by Major League Baseball after being ejected from a game against the Chicago Cubs on June 23 for having a foreign substance on his pitching hand.

“I was a little anxious but then I just concentrated on throwing strikes,” Diaz said.

Nimmo also had three of the Mets’ 11 hits. Jose Butto (3-3) pitched 1ª scoreless innings of relief.

Bryan Reynolds had two hits for the Pirates, who had won two of their previous three games. That came after he hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs in Friday’s rout.

Falter was removed in the third inning because of left posterior arm discomfort after the Mets loaded the bases with no outs. Dennis Santana relieved and struck out Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos before Torrens delivered his big blow.

“I just obviously wanted to try to stay in the game for as much as possible, just to give the bullpen a little break,” Falter said. “But I noticed a little discomfort in the warmup pitches in the third. Didn’t really throw too many strikes. It kind of flared up after that and I kind of just lost feel for (the strike zone).”

The Pirates’ Oneil Cruz hit a towering two-run home run off Mets starter David Peterson in the fourth inning that cleared the right-field stands and bounced into the Allegheny River.

Shelton was ejected by home plate umpire John Tumpane in the bottom of the seventh inning for arguing a called strike against Jack Suwinski with the bases loaded. Reed Garrett then struck out Suwinski to end the threat and preserve the Mets’ three-run edge.

Up next

RHP Mitch Keller (9-5, 3.48 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates today, concluding the four-game series opposite Mets RHP Christian Scott (0-2, 4.32).