GEE WHIZ: Dillon Gee, who allowed just one run in seven-plus innings yesterday against the Rockies, looks on during the Mets’ win at Citi Field. (Paul J. Bereswill)
Dillon Gee was the rocker following a Bruce Springsteen performance or the poet reading his works after Shakespeare just left the podium. It’s tough taking the mound 14 hours after Matt Harvey threw his first career complete game — a shutout no less.
“Harvey’s Harvey. He’s unreal. I just try to go out there and do what I can do to help win baseball games and we’ve been able to do that,” Gee said. “I’m not trying to follow Harvey and his stuff because I don’t have it.”
Could have fooled the Rockies yesterday.
Masterfully mixing pitches, Gee gave the Mets seven innings for his seventh consecutive start, working into the eighth and surrendering one run as the Mets completed a sweep of Colorado — their first at home this season — and a winning homestand with a 2-1 victory at Citi Field.
Gee’s effort continued a superb run by Mets starters over three series dating to July 29. In all 10 games, the starters have allowed three runs or less.
“He’s a good pitcher,” manager Terry Collins said of Gee (8-8), who spaced eight hits, including Corey Dickerson’s leadoff homer in the fourth, and didn’t walk anyone. “There’s never been, since I’ve been here, a question of him not being in the rotation. Just because he doesn’t do it as flashily perhaps as some of the other guys do, he still gets it done.
“You know one thing, you always think you’re going to see the seventh inning, him being in the game.”
With Gee or whomever else in the game, the Mets are liking life more and more. No, they’re not talking title, but they’re not throwing in towel. Heading into an 11-game road trip, they’ve won 16 of 28 games and stand just one behind second-place Washington in NL East.
“Everyone knows what to do and there is one goal, a W at the end,” said Wilmer Flores, whose bases-loaded forceout in the bottom of the fourth (his fourth RBI since his Tuesday call-up) delivered the Mets’ first run off Rockies starter Jeff Manship, who was called up before the game. Manship made his first start in the majors in over three years.
Catcher Anthony Recker delivered the eventual game-winner with a sacrifice fly behind Flores.
“Anything I can contribute offensively is always good,” said Recker, whose plan with Gee was to attack the aggressive nature of Colorado, which finished a miserable 1-9 road trip. “They were being aggressive so I was just thinking if we can keep the ball down and put some movement on it they’re going to make outs. Dillon certainly did his job.”
Gee won for only the second time in seven starts featuring some bad luck. But starting with a May 30 win over the Yankees, he’s 6-2.
“They say pitching wins you championships. We have to continue to do that. And we’re playing awesome defense,” Gee said.
He got the defense almost immediately. The Rockies opened the game with two singles and Dickerson then sent a fly ball to right field with both runners tagging. Marlon Byrd retrieved it and nailed DJ LeMahieu going to second.
“The whole thing is catch the ball, get it in as soon as possible,” Byrd said. “It’s stuff we work on before batting practice every single day. We can’t worry about what the runner’s doing, we have to make sure we put the ball on the bag.”
Gee took over and the Mets eventually got a perfect ninth from LaTroy Hawkins for his second save in as many days.
But it all started with the starter.
“He got better as the game went along,” Collins said. “Dillon Gee is the prototypical pitcher. … He’s got four quality major league pitches.”