(Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

It's make-or-break time for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they return home on Friday to open a three-game series against the New York Mets.

The Pirates bolstered their bullpen at the trade deadline in the hopes of making a playoff push, but they lost their third consecutive game on Thursday and dropped to three games under .500 for the first time this season.

The Mets, mired in last place in the National League East and already looking toward the future, will turn to rookie left-hander Zac Thornton (2-2, 2.88 ERA) for his seventh career start, his first against the Pirates.

New York's fifth-round pick in 2023, Thornton will oppose right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (6-3, 3.15 ERA), who returns to Pittsburgh's rotation for the first time since May 25. Mlodzinski will fill in for veteran Mitch Keller, who was placed on the 60-day injured list this week due to a season-ending shoulder injury.

The Pirates have lost eight of their past 10 games and are behind five teams in the chase for the National League's final wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh traded for relievers Camilo Doval, Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates and Lake Bachar ahead of the Monday deadline, and a 4-3 win at Milwaukee that night appeared to energize the clubhouse.

However, three consecutive losses to the Brewers followed. Pittsburgh likely needs an extended winning streak to reach the postseason, but the Pirates haven't won more than five in a row this season (March 31-April 5).

'There are gonna be weeks where we're gonna find ourselves in the situation we are now ... but next week we could win all six between the next two series and find ourselves in a wild-card spot,' Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe said. 'It's gonna be a grind, and we're gonna have to play our best baseball up until the final game. Wipe what happened here and get ready for New York.'

Mlodzinski made his first start of this season and only career start against the Mets on March 29, and he did not factor in the decision after allowing two runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out eight and did not issue a walk.

As a reliever the past two-plus months, Mlodzinski made 14 appearances, going 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA, two saves, 30 strikeouts and 11 walks over 39 1/3 innings.

The Mets took two of three against the visiting Pirates to open the season and are coming off their third sweep of 2026, having taken three in a row at Cleveland. With a win on Friday, they would match their longest winning streaks of the year, four-game runs from April 3-7 and May 27-31.

The recent surge was a welcome sight for veterans such as Bo Bichette, who believe the club can build off such success in the second half as it evaluates new players.

'The way I look at it is, I think there's no doubt this team is going to be better next year,' Bichette said. 'I really believe that. There's still a lot of talent in this room, a lot of young talent that's really hungry, combined with guys that have been around who have done a lot of great things in this game. And then on top of that, typically when you have a season like this, people show up a little bit more motivated. So I think that this group is going to be well-prepared to be better next year.'

Thornton will try to regroup after lasting 4 2/3 innings in a 6-2 home loss to the Miami Marlins on Saturday. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, including a home run, and three walks while striking out two.

--Field Level Media