PITTSBURGH — The Mets desperately needed a victory in any fashion Saturday, but the bonus was a rare strong performance from a starting pitcher. 

This one adhered to the offseason blueprint. Kodai Senga rolled into the late innings without much resistance and the bullpen held, allowing the Mets to snap their longest losing streak in four years at seven games with a 5-1 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. 

In some regards the Mets were an eyesore defensively — they committed three errors and have five over their past two games — but Brandon Nimmo helped tilt the equation with two fielding gems, both times robbing Connor Joe. 

Senga fired a two-hitter over seven innings, allowing one unearned run.

The right-hander struck out six and walked four, allowing the Mets to exhale after Justin Verlander and Tylor Megill gave them short ineffective performances on Thursday and Friday.

The Mets had allowed 27 combined runs in their previous two games. 

David Robertson and Adam Ottavino combined to pitch the final two innings, giving up no runs, on a day when the Mets’ pitchers allowed only three hits. 

Mark Canha put the Mets ahead with a two-run double in the seventh inning and Francisco Alvarez’s homer in the eighth against Colin Holderman — the reliever the Mets traded to the Pirates last summer for Daniel Vogelbach — extended the lead to 4-1.

The homer was the rookie’s 12th, tying him with Francisco Lindor for second place on the Mets, behind injured Pete Alonso, who leads MLB with 22.

Canha also hit an RBI double in the ninth that gave the Mets (31-34) their final run. 

Nimmo’s RBI single against Johan Oviedo gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

Tommy Pham, who entered play 8-for-21 (.381) with 12 RBIs over his previous 12 games, continued his sizzling play with a leadoff double, and Nimmo delivered with two outs for his 26th RBI of the season. 

Nimmo’s leaping catch at the center-field fence prevented the Pirates from clearing the bases in the third inning. Senga walked the bases loaded with two outs before Joe hit a shot to center.

Nimmo tracked it to the fence and grabbed the ball on a leap. Nimmo also extended for a diving catch in left-center to rob Joe of a hit for the final out in the fifth. 

Two defensive miscues helped the Pirates tie it 1-1 in the fourth. Luis Guillorme, starting at shortstop to give Lindor a break, mishandled Canha’s throw from first base on a force play, giving the Pirates runners on the corners.

The ensuing batter, Ji Hwan Bae, hit a grounder to second that Jeff McNeil booted as Jack Suwinski scored. 

The Mets committed two errors Friday in their ugly loss to the Pirates. Included was a double-play grounder that Lindor flubbed, setting up a big inning for Pittsburgh. 

On Saturday, Nimmo and McNeil walked in the sixth inning, but the Mets squandered the opportunity when Lindor hit into an inning-ending double play. 

The Mets committed their third error of the game in the sixth inning, when Canha, playing his third game at first base in Alonso’s absence, mishandled Suwinski’s grounder.

But Senga recovered to get the final two outs and keep the score tied. 

Marte legged out an infield single to start the seventh inning and Guillorme drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive before Canha blasted the two-run double that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead.