R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana are tough acts to follow. The New York Mets' co-aces pitched back-to-back shutouts this week against the Baltimore Orioles.
Dillon Gee almost made it three-for-three.
"You see what they do," Gee told MLB.com, "and you want to do the same thing."
Gee fired seven-plus innings of two-run baseball, as the Mets capped a three-game sweep of the O's on Wednesday, June 20 with a 4-3 victory at Citi Field. Gee ran the Mets' scoreless innings streak to 29 straight innings before Wilson Betemit hit a two-run bomb in the eighth inning. Gee didn't complete the shutout, but the Mets completed the sweep behind his solid start.
"I like our rotation a lot," Mets manager Collins said. "If they keep getting us this deep into games ... I think we're going to be in good shape."
If Collins can give the ball to Gee every fifth day and get production, I like the Mets rotation, too. Entering Wednesday's game, Mets starters were 27-12 with an earned run average of 3.51. We all know that Dickey and Santana have carried the load, but Gee has been solid with 10 quality starts, counting last night. He now has a 4.27 ERA -- a stat inflated by a couple of starts in which he have gave up seven earned runs -- with 83 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched.
Before the season started, there was much trepidation about the Mets starting pitching. But Santana has been rock solid in his return from shoulder surgery and R.A. Dickey has been a revelation. Plus, Jonathon Niese has pitched in with a record of 4-3 and 3.82 ERA. That leaves Gee, who is no lock to throw zeroes every start, but he may hold the key to the team's success.
Adam Martini is a freelance sportswriter who grew up in Queens, N.Y. with a view of Shea Stadium from his bedroom window. He spent many nights in the upper deck at Shea rooting for the Mets. You can follow him on Twitter @PegCitySports.
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