Game #112: Mets 2, Rockies 1

Break out the brooms, we've got some snow to sweep up!

(NYDailyNews.com)

Dillon Gee out-dueled Jeff Manship and the Mets eked just enough offense out to sweep the Rockies 2-1.

The Good Stuff:

• Dillon Gee drove himself further on the road to the future, tossing 7.2 innings of one-run, eight-hit ball, walking no one and striking out three on only 87 pitches. Without the single he gave up towards the end of the 8th, he would've been on pace to match Matt Harvey's complete game from last night.
• After Scott Rice walked Troy Tulowitzki, David Aardsma was brought on to retire Michael Cuddyer, which he did on a flyout to left.
• LaTroy Hawkins nailed down the 9th for his second save of the year.
• If you missed the 4th inning, you missed a whole lot. Corey Dickerson powered Colorado's only run with a solo homer off Gee, and the New York bats responded with two in the bottom of the frame: singles by Daniel Murphy and Marlon Byrd, followed by Ike Davis's walk, loaded the bases for last night's hero, Wilmer Flores. It wasn't a three-run double this time, but it was a productive RBI groundout that tied the game. Anthony Recker then lifted the next pitch to center field for the go-ahead sac fly. It was an effective game of tit-for-tat, and the Mets came out on top.

The Bad Stuff:

• The Mets only had six hits on the day, none of which went for extra bases. They went 1-6 with RISP and left seven men on base.

Final Analysis:
Pitching was the story of this fun series. Jenrry Mejia, Matt Harvey, and Dillon Gee combined to let up two earned runs in a combined 22 innings, good for an 0.82 ERA. Meanwhile, Hawkins and the bullpen (sans Bobby Parnell) combined for five scoreless innings in relief. That'll do.

If Mets fans weren't excited about the team's future before this week, they should be now. The team is 28-21 in the Nieu Year and is building up a massive surplus of starting pitching. Deciding who gets a spot in the rotation will eventually become a problem, but it's the best kind of problem to have. And Dillon Gee is proving himself worthy of joining what could eventually turn into the best rotation in baseball.

MM

Game #110: Mets 3, Rockies 2

What would it take for New York to beat the Colorado Rockies? Try an avalanche of hustle from an ex-Rocky.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Eric Young saved the game with a spectacular catch in the 6th then scored the winning run from second on an infield single in the 8th as the Mets knocked off the visiting Rockies 3-2.

The Good Stuff:

• It wasn't just Marlon Byrd flying high tonight (although he had an excellent catch himself in the 8th).
• Juan Lagares knocked home two runs in the 1st on his fourth triple of the year and had his share of great defense out in center.
• The star of the game though was Eric Young, who was playing his first game against his old Colorado teammates. The Rockies tied it at 2-2 in the 6th and loaded the bases with two outs, but Todd Helton's would-be bloop single was snuffed out by a diving catch.
• EY's heroics continued in the 8th inning as he led off with a single. Daniel Murphy and Byrd each flew out, but Young tagged and advanced to second on Byrd's flyout, forcing Wilton Lopez to intentionally walk Ike Davis (more on him later). That brought up Lagares, who hit a slow nubber to second base and beat the throw for an infield single. Young, never stopping, raced around third, slid into the plate, and came up bounding like a jackalope, triumphant with the go-ahead run.
• Ike Davis continued his post-ASB resurgence, smashing two doubles and drawing two walks in four plate appearances. But his biggest moment came in the top of the 9th and capped off this Amazin' Aerial Night. LaTroy Hawkins got the first two batters of the inning to pop up, but back-to-back singles by Nolan Arendo and DJ LeMahieu put runners on the corners. That brought up Yorvit Torrealba, who smashed a line drive just foul down the first base line that Ike parlayed into a game-saving catch, putting it in the books for the home team.
• Davis, by the way, is hitting .346 and getting on base at a whopping .528 clip in the past 10 games.
• Jenrry Mejia didn't factor in the decision but had himself another solid outing, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks in 5.1 innings, striking out seven on 96 pitches.
• Carlos Torres and Scott Atchison combined for 2.2 scoreless innings in relief with Atchison picking up the W. Hawkins, of course, struggled in the 9th but picked up his first save with the Mets and just his second since 2010.

The Bad Stuff:

• Wilmer Flores received a big-league debut as a 22nd birthday present but had a rough go of it, batting 0-4 and committing a near-costly error at third base in the 6th. He'll get better.

Final Analysis:
Colorado Rockies fans were sad to see Eric Young go in June, and New York Mets fans are quickly falling for him the same way those in Denver did. Since he arrived, EY has provided a spark that, if you exclude the time we thought Jordany Valdespin would provide it (turned out to be the wrong kind of spark), the team hasn't seen since Jose Reyes's time. But Gary, Ron, and Keith have noticed it, and I have as well: Mookie Wilson lives, and his name is Eric Young, Jr. I hope this guy calls Citi Field home for a long time.

MM