Jun 7, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Jon Niese had little trouble against his former team.

Niese pitched seven scoreless innings against New York and Josh Harrison had three hits as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Mets 3-1 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader sweep. Pittsburgh won the second game by the same score.

The Pirates snapped New York left-hander Steven Matz’s seven-game winning streak.

Niese (6-2) gave up four hits, walked two and struck out two in helping the Pirates win for the just the second time in seven games. The lefty is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in his last five starts.

He was drafted by the Mets in 2005 and spent his entire career in the organization, including eight seasons in the major leagues, before being traded to the Pirates on Dec. 9 for Neil Walker.

“It was a little weird because It’s the only organization I knew,” Niese said. “All those guys are great over there. I got along with all of them. I definitely miss them but I’m enjoying my time here, too. I had a good game plan going on. I tried to live at the bottom of the strike zone.”

It continued a string of five starts in which Niese has allowed two runs or less.

“He’s in a good lane right now,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Walker was 1 for 4 in his first time facing the Pirates for the Pittsburgh-area native. He was their first-round draft pick in 2004, made his major league debut in 2009 and spent the last six seasons as the starting second baseman.

The doubleheader was the result of Monday night’s scheduled game being rained out.

Matz (7-2) allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings while losing for the first time since his season debut April 11 against the Miami Marlins. He struck out eight and walked two while losing on the road for the first time in nine career starts after compiling a 6-0 record.

“He didn’t command his fastball and you’ve got to command your fastball to make it work,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “He was up in the zone, up in the zone. He couldn’t get the fastball down.”

Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 18th save in 19 chances.

Harrison tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scored the game’s first run on David Freese’s single. Harrison then singled, stole second and came home on Andrew McCutchen’s single in the fifth to make it 2-0.

The Pirates’ Jordy Mercer hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his second of the season and first at PNC Park since Aug. 31, 2014.

McCutchen, Freese and Jung Ho Kang each had two of the Pirates’ 10 hits.

Curtis Granderson accounted for the Mets’ run with a leadoff homer in the eighth, his 10th, off Neftali Feliz. Granderson had been 2-for-53 against the Pirates since signing as a free agent with the Mets prior to the 2014 season.

The Mets have lost six of nine, scoring a total of just 22 runs. A total of 14 of their 21 outs against Niese were on ground balls.

“The thing about Jon Niese is that he’s going to get his share of ground balls,” Collins said. “If you don’t go up there with a good approach and try to pull him, he’s going to get a lot of easy outs.”

In the second game, Juan Nicasio retired his first 12 batters and got his second win in six starts.

Nicasio (5-4) allowed a run on three hits and two walks over five innings. He had gone 1-2 with a 6.23 ERA in his previous five starts.

Jacob deGrom (3-2) is winless in his last seven starts after he allowed three runs in six innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. He has not won since April 30 against San Francisco despite allowing three earned runs or fewer six times.