Dillon Gee pitched eight strong innings to remain perfect on the season and the visiting New York Mets opened a four-game series with an 8-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Gee (7-0) won his fifth consecutive start, allowing one run on eight hits to lift the Mets to their fifth win in six games. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Jose Reyes went 3-for-5 with a home run and Lucas Duda, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo earlier Friday, drove in a pair of runs for New York, which improved to 9-0 in Gee’s nine starts this season.

Pirates starter Charlie Morton (6-3) was knocked out after a five-run fourth inning. He was battered for seven runs – six earned – on nine hits.

Justin Turner had a two-run single and Duda and Josh Thole had RBI base hits in the decisive fourth inning. Thole finished with three hits.

Jose Tabata had three hits and Andrew McCutchen singled in Pittsburgh’s only run to extend his hitting streak to nine games.