Game #53: Mets 7, Pirates 3

Justin Turner tags out the Pirates' Ronny Cedeno attampting to steal second base to end the seventh inning. (NYTimes.com)

Four big names on the bench? Makeshift lineup? No problem.

Dillon Gee continued his outstanding rookie season and the Mets offense racked up 15 hits on the way to a 7-3 Memorial Day win over the Pirates.

The Good Stuff:

• Dillon Gee kept his undefeated rookie season in tact, picking up his fifth win of the year with a 3-run, 5-hit performance over 7 innings, walking none and striking out a career-high 8 Bucs. I've said it before, I'll say it again: we could be seeing the rise of the next Ron Darling or Jerry Koosman. Maybe he'll be even more than that, but I'll settle for Koosman.
• The Amazin' bats stayed hot in the heat of Citi Field, pounding 15 hits against Pitt pitchers. Down 2-0 in the 2nd, the Mets scored the first run on a passed ball, then Ruben Tejada tied the game with a perfectly-placed infield hit. Tejada finished the day 3-4, bringing his batting average up to an impressive .316.
• In the 5th, Angel Pagan's comeback tour continued with a bang in the form of a bases-loaded single brought home the go-ahead run. Pagan ended up going 3-5 with a run scored and that RBI. His once-terrible .159 batting average is now up to a less-terrible .209.
• After the Pirates tied it in the 7th, Josh Thole lashed a 2-run double into the vast right-center gap. Machine Man Justin Turner then brought home some insurance in the 8th on a double. Daniel Murphy followed it up two batters later with an RBI groundout to make it lucky number seven.
• Jason Isringhausen and Fransisco Rodriguez stopped the bullpen's recent bleeding with two innings of no-hit ball.

The Bad Stuff:

• You can't complain with 7 runs, but it probably should have been more: the team batted a respectable if not spectacular 5-18 with RISP. Better than what we've been doing, but comparatively it becomes Bad Stuff.
• Willie Harris was the only Met position player to go hitless, going 0-5 in the leadoff spot. I would have put Pagan in the leadoff spot, but that's why Terry Collins is manager and I'm just a simple blogger: we got the win.

Final Analysis:
The New York Mets may be dysfunctional, but not hapless. The Pittsburgh Pirates meet that definition: 18 straight losing seasons and counting. So when dysfunction meets haplessness, dysfunction wins. That's 16 runs in the past two days for the Mets offense and two solid starts from Niese and Gee. The wheels are back on, and a sweep of the Pirates will only help. Let's keep it up.

MM

P.S. Our hearts go out to Jose Reyes, who has gone back to his native Dominican Republic for the funeral of his grandmother. He has been placed on the bereavement list and will likely be out of the lineup 3-7 days. We're sorry for your loss Jose, and we'll be here for you when you get back.