LOS ANGELES — If this were Bartolo Colon’s finale in a Mets uniform, he will be leaving the club on a positive vibe.
The veteran right-hander, who reportedly has been placed on revocable waivers, gave a Colon-like performance Sunday that helped the Mets escape Dodger Stadium with at least a shred of dignity.
Six strong innings from Colon, four home runs by the Mets and a triple play turned all spelled an 11-3 demolition of the Dodgers.
The Mets played the last 6 ½ innings without David Wright, who departed the game with spasms on the right side of his neck. But Wright indicated he doesn’t believe the injury will sideline him long-term.
Colon is headed to the Dominican Republic for his mother’s funeral on Thursday, but is no slam dunk to pitch again for the Mets two days later. He could easily return to Southern California, where the Angels and Dodgers are looking to plug holes in their respective rotations.
“I don’t really think about those kinds of things,” Colon said. “Whatever the team and the ownership want to do, that is their part. My part is to pitch, and I just don’t think it’s necessary to think about that at all.”
If Colon goes unclaimed on waivers, the Mets are free to trade him anywhere. If a claim is made and general manager Sandy Alderson can’t strike a deal, the Mets could simply let the other team take Colon, erasing $11 million from the books for next season. But the Mets could also pull back Colon if he is claimed and look for a better deal in the offseason.
Colon missed his previous start to be with his ailing mother, who died last week. But any emotional trauma he might have suffered wasn’t evident in his performance Sunday.
“Mentally I was ready, even though I haven’t been able to sleep my normal hours,” said Colon, who returned to the team on Friday after departing Monday. “But to pitch, I was ready.”
Colon (12-10, 3.82 ERA) lasted six innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk. It helped the Mets snap a two-game skid as they prepare to begin a six-game homestand against the Braves and Phillies.
“[Colon] impressed me, but didn’t surprise me,” manager Terry Collins said. “He’s a competitive guy, he’s a pro, he knows he’s got to step up when we need him, but he’s had a tough week. After he came off in the sixth, I think that’s the first time ever in his career that he said, ‘I’m done.’ ”
This one had a little of everything for the Mets, including their first triple play turned since May 19, 2010, at Washington.
With runners on first and second with nobody out, Matt Kemp hit a grounder to third that went for a conventional around-the-horn double play. But Yasiel Puig never stopped running from second base, and Lucas Duda fired home after taking the throw to first. Puig was tagged out by Travis d’Arnaud to conclude the inning.
Duda led the onslaught with a 3-for-5 performance that included two homers and five RBIs.
The Mets turned Kevin Correia (2-1) into a punching bag, battering the right-hander for seven runs, five of which were earned, on seven hits over three innings, including three home runs.
Duda’s three-run homer was the highlight of the Mets’ five-run third inning. The blast landed three-quarters of the way up in the right-field pavilion seats.
But the Mets weren’t done unloading against Correia in the inning. After Juan Lagares reached on Adrian Gonzalez’s error, Ruben Tejada cleared the left-field fence for his third homer of the season.
D’Arnaud homered in the second inning to give the Mets a run and Duda’s homer in the ninth against Jamey Wright completed the Mets’ big afternoon.
Duda said he was happiest for Colon.
“We all tried to rally around him,” Duda said. “And give him as much support as we can.”