NEW YORK -- Like most closers, Addison Reed is used to only getting attention when he has a bad night at the office.

But there was Reed Saturday night, grinning and asking the approaching reporters to give him a minute to adjust the postgame crown bestowed upon the most valuable player in a New York Mets victory.

They were unusual sights at the end of an unusual night for Reed, who recorded the first six-out save of his major league career to close out the Mets' 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field.

"I've said since day one that I came over here -- they call down and want me to throw the first inning, I'll throw the first inning," Reed said. "No change in my mindset."

The mindset of Mets manager Terry Collins changed once he saw an opportunity to snap a three-game losing streak. Collins hoped to get six innings out of starter Robert Gsellman but had to pull the rookie right-hander -- who threw a career-high 109 pitches -- with two on and one out in the sixth and New York clinging to the 4-2 lead.

Fernando Salas, whom Collins wanted to use in the eighth, retired both batters he faced in relief of Gsellman. Jerry Blevins allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh, during which Collins called down to the bullpen to see if Reed -- who hadn't pitched since Tuesday -- could go two innings.

"I told (pitching coach) Dan (Warthen) 'Addison's got to get us two,'" Collins said. "As strapped as we are right now, he's the one guy who's rested."

The Mets' bullpen entered Saturday with 13 losses, tied for the second most in the majors, and a 4.54 ERA that ranked 26th. Among the relievers, only Blevins and Josh Edgin had been unscored upon in their last five appearances.

Reed wriggled out of jams in the eighth, when he gave up a hit and a walk, and the ninth, when he surrendered a leadoff single to Josh Harrison and dodged disaster when David Freese flied to the warning track in right for the second out. He ended the game by retiring Josh Bell on a grounder to short.

"We had to go outside the box a little bit tonight," Collins said. "Addy picked us up when we needed it."

Reed's 114th big league save was the first in which he's recorded more than four outs and only the fourth in which he's thrown more than an inning.

"I did not know that," said a grinning Reed, who had four two-out saves -- all in 2010 and 2011 -- as a minor leaguer. "Nice."

Neil Walker hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Mets. The Pirates tied the score on Bell's homer in the second and Gregory Polanco's run-scoring groundout in the third before Jay Bruce gave New York the lead for good with a one-out homer in the third.

Wilmer Flores added a leadoff homer in the fifth for the Mets (24-30). Walker and Lucas Duda had two hits apiece.

Gsellman (4-3) won his second straight start after allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over 5 1/3 innings.

The Pirates (25-31) stranded 12 runners, including six in scoring position, as manager Clint Hurdle resorted to hockey analogies -- the Pittsburgh Penguins lost in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night -- to lament the inability to produce in clutch situations.

"Tonight we felt like we were on the power play the whole night and couldn't put a goal in net," Hurdle said.

Jordy Mercer had three hits for the Pirates, who have lost three of four. Harrison and rookie catcher Elias Diaz had two hits. Polanco went 0-for-5 as his 10-game hitting streak came to an end.

Tyler Glasnow (2-5) took the loss after giving up the four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings.

"I just kind of left them over the middle -- just missed my spots, hung a curveball," Glasnow said, referring to the homers he surrendered. "Got to execute the pitches and that didn't happen."

NOTES: Mets RHP Seth Lugo (elbow) allowed one run while throwing a seven-inning complete game for Double-A Binghamton. Lugo is expected to return to the Mets' rotation next weekend. ... Mets 1B Lucas Duda has reached base safely in 20 of his last 21 games. ... Pirates C Francisco Cervelli (illness) missed a second straight game. ... Pirates RHP Jameson Taillon (testicular cancer) will make another rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.