Game #91: Mets 4, Pirates 2

Perhaps Terry Collins told his team they wouldn't get a break unless they won this game. Whatever he told them, it worked.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Dillon Gee's strong outing was backed by three 1st-inning runs and the Mets salvaged the final game of the series with the Pirates, 4-2.

The Good Stuff:

• Eric Young singled on Gerrit Cole's third pitch of the game and David Wright followed with a single two batters later. Marlon Byrd then put an exclamation point on a comeback first half with a ground-rule double to plate Young. Three batters later, John Buck came in to clean up the mess with a two-run single that gave Dillon Gee a three-run lead before he even took the mound.
• Pun intended, Gee ran with his run support for 6.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on five hits and a walk, striking out two on 105 pitches. The W gives Gee a 7-7 record on the season, a far cry from his 2-6 mark before the Yankee series. His ERA since that start is a sterling 2.67.
• Daniel Murphy added the fourth run of the game on an RBI triple.
• LaTroy Hawkins let in a run in the 8th but Pittsburgh would get no closer, as Bobby Parnell overcame a couple 9th-inning singles to shut the door on his 17th save of the year.

The Bad Stuff:

• Murphy and Gee each committed errors for the visitors, and Gee's in the 3rd led to the Pirates' first run.

Final Analysis:
The biggest reason for the Mets' 17-11 turnaround since June 16 is the lockdown starting pitching of Matt Harvey, Jeremy Hefner, and Dillon Gee. Those names don't exactly draw immediate comparisons to Seaver-Koosman-Matlack of 40 years ago, but they're certainly getting the job done for the 2013 New Yorkers. If Zack Wheeler comes around after the All-Star Break, it's going to be tough to beat the Mets in the last two months of the season.

MM

P.S. Congrats to Mike Piazza, who will soon be a member of the Mets Hall of Fame!