NEW YORK -- Steve Trachsel has been a consistent winner in a season filled with losses for the New York Mets.
Trachsel won his career-high 16th game, helped by Timo Perez's three hits and two RBI, as the Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 on Wednesday night.
"I'll definitely enjoy it more this offseason, when it sinks in," the veteran right-hander said. "I'm just glad I finished the season strong."
Trachsel (16-10) pitched six solid innings, allowing two runs and six hits as the Mets (65-92) won consecutive games for the first time since completing a three-game sweep of Atlanta on Sept. 3.
"Steve can be proud of this season," manager Art Howe said. "He's had a great one."
Trachsel, who lost to Montreal 1-0 in his previous start, struck out four and walked two in front of 22,134 at Shea Stadium, which appeared to be half that full.
"He didn't have that normal command, but he battled the whole way," Howe said.
Mike Stanton pitched the ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.
Trachsel could have a shot at a 17th win if the Mets have to play San Francisco at Shea on Monday to make up a game postponed by last month's blackout. The Giants might need the game to determine home-field advantage between them and Atlanta for the playoffs.
Trachsel said he'd probably start that game.
"I'd rather see my kids, but if we play it I'll go out there and try to win another game for us," Trachsel said.
Perez went 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Mets, who snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 1-0 win Tuesday night and have won just three times in their last 11 games.
"Timo came up big for us," Howe said. "He got the hit that turned out to be the game-winner. He hit the ball good the first two times up, and he's starting to get some timely hits."
New York got to Jeff D'Amico (9-16) right away, taking a 1-0 lead in the first on Mike Piazza's run-scoring groundout. Roger Cedeno hit a leadoff double and went to third on Jay Bell's flyout to center. Piazza followed with a grounder to short that scored Cedeno.
Danny Garcia's RBI single in the second gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. Perez hit a leadoff double and two outs later, scored on Garcia's single to left.
"I had opportunities to get out of those jams and I couldn't get out of them," D'Amico said. "I just couldn't get the last out."
Pittsburgh tied it with two runs in the third. Tike Redman hit a one-out single, but was erased on Abraham Nunez's grounder to second. Jason Kendall followed with a triple to right-center, just out of the reach of a diving Prentice Redman, scoring Nunez. Matt Stairs singled past Garcia at second to tie it at 2.
The Mets went up 5-2 in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Tony Clark and a two-run single by Perez.
D'Amico got two quick outs before giving up consecutive singles to Cedeno and Bell and then back-to-back walks to Piazza and Clark, forcing in the go-ahead run. Perez followed with a liner up the middle that barely brushed D'Amico on the back and went into center, allowing Bell and Piazza to score.
"That was a big inning for us," Howe said. "We haven't been able to do that in a while."
D'Amico lost for the fourth time in five decisions, allowing five runs and nine hits in five innings.
"He really wasn't very sharp, as he normally is," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He didn't hit his spots with his breaking ball and his fastball wasn't as crisp."
The loss gave D'Amico an NL-leading 16 this season, one more than Cincinnati's Danny Graves and San Diego's Brian Lawrence.
"Nine-and-16 can't be all that good," D'Amico said. "I just don't feel good."
The Pirates scored their final run in the eighth on Jack Wilson's two-out RBI single.
Notes
The Mets will honor longtime broadcaster Bob Murphy before Thursday night's game. Murphy, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, has been with the Mets since 1962. ... Kendall's RBI triple in the third was his career-high 186th hit of the season. ... Mets OF Jeff Duncan wasn't in the lineup a day after fouling a ball off his right foot and bruising it. He's day-to-day. ... Kevin James of the hit television comedy "King of Queens" threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and took batting practice with the Mets before the game.
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