HOUSTON -- Adam LaRoche responded to New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran's comments Thursday that he was "embarrassed" at being swept in three games by the Pirates.

"I think it shows zero class and zero professionalism," the Pirates' first baseman said yesterday at Minute Maid Park. "When somebody says that, they know what they're saying, and they know it's going to get out. He knows we're not going to be real happy about it. If you go and say that to your buddies, it's one thing. If you go to the media and make that public for us to hear? Yeah, that's no class."

LaRoche paused.

"You know, if we're as bad as he says we are and we swept them, then what's that make them?"

LaRoche, the players and coaching staff read about the remark on PDAs just before their flight took off Thursday night from Pittsburgh for Houston, and it apparently was a hot topic.

Beltran's comment Thursday:

"The reality of this is coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, me, I feel embarrassed. I mean, we have to take this personally. It can't happen. It can't happen, us being able to come here and lose three games just like that. Three games to this team. I know they're a big-league ball club, but we're better than them."