Chalk one up for the older guys.
As part of their senior movement, the Mets started Bartolo Colon and Bobby Abreu against the Padres on Friday and may have coined a new slogan: Don’t trust anyone under 40.
With the 41-year-old Colon and 40-year-old Abreu in control, the Mets rolled to a 6-2 victory at Citi Field that snapped a two-game skid.
Abreu went 4-for-4 with two RBIs in the cleanup spot and Colon pitched 7 ¹/₃ strong innings to win his fourth straight decision.
It didn’t hurt the Mets (30-37) that the Padres are the biggest wreck offensively in the National League. The Padres entered with a .216 team batting average that ranked last in the league and made the Mets, at .231, seem like the 1961 Yankees.
Abreu’s big night was complete with an RBI single in the seventh that gave the Mets a 6-2 lead. Overall, the Mets were 5-for-12 (.385) with runners in scoring position — a needed aberration from their recent struggles. They entered batting only .173 with runners in scoring position since firing hitting coach Dave Hudgens on May 26 and replacing him with Lamar Johnson.
“We’re always trying to just find a way to hit with runners in scoring position,” Abreu said. “Especially with two outs, it’s not easy to do, but we’ve been hitting the ball good and haven’t had any luck. Today we worked it and scored some runs.”
Manager Terry Collins indicated he may give Abreu a third straight start on Saturday, when the Mets face Padres right-hander Jesse Hahn.
“I talked to Bobby about being honest with me, if his legs start to get tired,” Collins said. “If he starts to get a little run-down, he’s got to say something, because I know that leg injuries, if they come to him, they are going to be an issue.”
After allowing a two-run homer to Rene Rivera in the second inning, Colon (6-5) retired 18 straight batters before Alexi Amarista doubled leading off the eighth. Overall, Colon allowed two earned runs on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
“I think it was just a matter of getting through the first two innings,” Colon said. “After that I got real comfortable and found my zone.”
The Padres loaded the bases in the eighth against Colon and Josh Edgin before Vic Black entered and retired Carlos Quentin.
Over his last five starts, Colon is 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA and has 30 strikeouts and eight walks. Colon’s last loss came on May 6, when the Marlins beat him 3-0.
David Wright continues to struggle — he is 1-for-15 on the homestand after a brutal road trip — but the Mets captain had a productive at-bat in the seventh, when his sacrifice fly extended the lead to 5-2.
Abreu’s third hit of the night, an RBI single in the fifth against Andrew Cashner (2-6), extended the Mets’ lead to 4-2. But a chance at a big inning was perhaps wasted earlier, when Wright hit into a double play after Ruben Tejada singled and Daniel Murphy walked.
Matt den Dekker’s bloop double in the fourth gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. It was a needed contribution from den Dekker, who entered in a 6-for-32 (.188) skid over his previous 10 games. Even so, the rookie could be headed back to Triple-A Las Vegas by the conclusion of the weekend, when Eric Young Jr. is expected to be activated from the disabled list.
Lucas Duda’s booming double to left-center had tied the game at 2-2 before den Dekker hit a 9-iron to left field that bounced just inside the foul line and into the stands. Abreu’s single — his second hit of the game — had started the rally.