Game #151: Mets 4, Marlins 3

(NYDailyNews.com)

Worst Jaws movie ever, but with a happy ending for New Yorkers.

Jason Bay and Scott Hairston backed R.A. Dickey's 19th W and Jon Rauch fought for every out in the 9th as the Mets beat the Marlins 4-3.

The Good Stuff:

• CY-watch continues for R.A. Dickey, who allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 8+ innings, walking 2 and striking out 4. He had a shutout going through 8 innings, took the NL lead in Ks, dropped his ERA to a league-leading 2.66, and secured his 19th W of the season, making him the first Mets since 1990 to win as many (Frank Viola won 20 that year and Doc Gooden added 19).
• Jason Bay got the ball rolling with his bat in the 2nd, blasting a 2-run homer to straight-away center field off Mark Buehrle.
• Scott Hairston added a solo shot (his 19th) in the 4th and Daniel Murphy singled in Josh Thole in the 5th.

The Bad Stuff:

• Just when the 30,332 at Citi Field put away their heart meds, Miami came back and made it uncomfortably close in the 9th. Dickey let the first two men get on and Jon Rauch promptly gave up a 3-run homer to John Buck. Buck struck out a man but then allowed a single, but with the shadows of Tuesday night's giveaway behind him, buckled down to get the final two men and send the home fans home happy for the second straight day.
• David Wright went hitless again, failing to reach in 4 at-bats to drop his average to .305.

Final Analysis:
Gio Gonzalez of Washington may be on his way to his 20th win of 2012, but R.A. Dickey has 19 and leads in every other category that matters: ERA (2.66), strikeouts (209), innings pitched (218) complete games (5), shutouts (3). Knuckleballer or not, Dickey has been the best pitcher in the National League in 2012. As long as he doesn't completely implode on Thursday against Pittsburgh and Tuesday in Miami, there's no way he can't win the Cy Young Award. And that, my friends, would be something to celebrate at the end of this dreadful season.

MM