Liriano strikes out 12, Pirates sweep Mets

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Francisco Liriano kept up Pittsburgh's strikeout parade, fanning 12 as the Pirates beat the New York Mets 9-1 Sunday for a three-game sweep.

After Gerrit Cole fanned 10 in the opener and A.J. Burnett struck out 10 more Saturday, Liriano (2-4) topped them in only six innings.

Liriano gave up one run and six hits.

Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte homered for the Pirates.

Jonathon Niese (3-5) allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks in 4 2-3 innings.

The Mets finished 4-10 in a 14-game stretch against teams from the NL Central.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)