PITTSBURGH - Mets manager Terry Collins wondered about the "dead arm" that might be sweeping through his pitching staff, then watched lefthander Jonathon Niese get lit up for the third straight time.
It happened on a day when half the starting lineup was missing due to yet another wave of debilitating injuries. And as if Collins needed another reason for a migraine in the Mets' 9-1 loss to the Pirates on Sunday, he watched a move blow up in his face.
In the sixth, Collins called for an intentional walk of Andrew McCutchen, who had hit a two-run homer the previous inning.