MLB

Gee leads Mets over Pirates

PITTSBURGH — Jason Bay’s return to PNC Park for the first time since getting traded from the Pirates in 2008 worked out just nicely for the Mets last night.

For a second straight game, Bay didn’t make an out. Maybe not so coincidentally, the Mets battered a pretty good starting pitcher again.

With Bay on the bench for a second straight game, the Mets kept scrapping. A night after smacking around Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo, they didn’t allow Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton to survive five innings either and rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Pirates last night.

“The guys have really put some good at-bats together the whole last two weeks,” manager Terry Collins said after the Mets won for the sixth time in eight games. “We’ve worked pitchers. We haven’t given in. We haven’t expanded the zones, and we’re getting our hits.”

Collins will take his chances tonight and reinsert Bay — who is stuck in a career-worst 0-for-23 slump — into the lineup. Josh Thole and Jose Reyes led last night’s attack with three hits apiece and rookie Lucas Duda drove in two runs after arriving from Triple-A Buffalo.

BOX SCORE

Dillon Gee made it seven straight superb performances by Mets’ starting pitchers, allowing one run on eight hits over eight innings. The right-hander is 7-0 with a 3.05 ERA, extending his club rookie record for decisions won as a starter to begin the season.

“It’s nice, but I’m not out there doing it by myself,” Gee said. “I’ve had a lot of help.”

Over the last seven games, no Mets starting pitcher has allowed more than two earned runs. The Mets rotation is 5-0 with a 1.43 ERA during that stretch.

The Mets (31-32) seized control in the fourth inning, scoring five runs on six hits to take a 6-1 lead against Morton, who entered third in the NL with a 2.52 ERA. As usual, it was little ball that gave the Mets their rally.

Angel Pagan opened the inning with a double, but the Mets’ remaining five hits in the inning were singles. Duda stroked an RBI single to give the Mets a 2-1 lead before Thole delivered an RBI single and Justin Turner a two-run single. Carlos Beltran’s sacrifice fly scored the inning’s final run.

“It felt good not to necessarily hit missiles around the ballpark tonight, but anything to get on is good,” Thole said, referring to his three singles.

Morton was done in the fifth after Pagan’s triple and Duda’s sacrifice fly gave the Mets a 7-1 lead. The right-hander surrendered six earned runs on nine hits in his shortest outing of the year. Reyes’ solo home run in the sixth against reliever Daniel McCutchen gave the Mets their final run.

“The offense has done a great job, but we’re going to need home runs — make no mistake about it,” Collins said.

To that end, he’s ready to put a bat in Bay’s hands again. The

$66 million left fielder spent the last two days working in the batting cage and trying to clear his mind. Though Bay spent

4½ years starring for the Pirates before getting traded to the Red Sox three years ago, he said it didn’t bother him to sit out last night’s game.

Would it be extra sweet for Bay to begin turning his season around in his old stomping ground?

“If it happens against the Brooklyn Dodgers I wouldn’t care,” Bay said. “I just want it to happen.”

mpuma@nypost.com