Mets put it all together against Rockies
NEW YORK -- The New York Mets began a six-game homestand last Friday night by losing their best player and biggest name. They finished it by crafting the blueprint for success without David Wright.
They did all the little things in producing their first three-game series sweep of the season at Citi Field.
Dillon Gee threw 7 2/3 strong innings Thursday afternoon and the Mets used a pair of productive outs to score their only runs in the fourth inning of a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.
The Mets (52-60) scored just 10 runs in recording their first three-game sweep at home since they took all three from the Miami Marlins last Sept. 21-23. But the Mets allowed only three runs in 27 innings against the Rockies, generated offense this week with heads-up baserunning and played outstanding defense throughout the series.
"We didn't exactly knock the ball all over the ballpark, but it shows you, you can win games if you do the little things," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "The baserunning, the defense. Make pitches. Get productive outs, move runners along, get them in scoring position. You never know what'll happen. And that's how we're going to have to play."
In the Mets' 3-2 victory on Tuesday, Eric Young saved two runs with a diving catch to end the fifth inning before he scored the winning run in the eighth inning by racing home from second base on an infield single. On Wednesday, young ace Matt Harvey threw his first career shutout by four-hitting the Rockies in a 5-0 win.
The Mets once again used all three facets of the game to complete the sweep on Thursday. The Rockies took a brief 1-0 lead on Corey Dickerson's homer leading off the fourth, but the Mets pieced together a two-run rally off emergency starter Jeff Manship in the bottom of the inning.
Daniel Murphy and Marlon Byrd opened the inning with singles, with Murphy racing to third on Byrd's hit, before a walk to Ike Davis loaded the bases. Rookie Wilmer Flores' slow roller to short scored Murphy and Byrd scored the go-ahead run on Anthony Recker's sacrifice fly to center.
It's not flashy, but it'll have to do with Wright likely out for the rest of the month after suffering a Grade 3 strain of his right hamstring against the Royals.
"Obviously, losing David was really tough, and we're not going to replace him no matter what we do," Recker said. "So it's just a matter of coming out here and putting everything we have on the field. We keep getting that good pitching and some timely hits like we've been doing, we can do some damage."
Byrd helped limit the damage in the first inning, when Gee allowed singles to the first two batters he faced before Byrd threw out DJ LeMahieu trying to advance to second base on Corey Dickerson's fly out.
Gee ended up throwing just eight pitches in the first and the Rockies got only three runners as far as second base the rest of the way. Gee allowed the one run on eight hits and no walks while striking out three as he improved to 6-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 13 starts since May 30.
"In the first inning (he) had to kind of figure out how to navigate the day," Gee said. "We were able to do that. They were really aggressive and we took advantage of it."
After Gee was lifted following LeMahieu's third single, Scott Rice walked pinch-hitter Troy Tulowitzki before David Aardsma ended the inning by retiring Michael Cuddyer on a fly to left. LaTroy Hawkins earned his second save with a perfect ninth.
The Rockies (52-64) lost their fifth in a row and finished a 10-game road trip at 1-9, which tied the franchise mark for the worst road trip in history. Colorado went 1-9 on a 10-game trip from June 22 through July 1, 2007.
The Rockies scored just 23 runs on the road trip, including 15 in the final nine games.
"We just didn't swing the bats very well again," LeMahieu said. "It'll be nice to get back home, hopefully turn things around a little bit. Offensively, we can't get much worse."
Manship, who was recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs Wednesday night and arrived at 5 a.m. Thursday, allowed the two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four in five innings. He was starting in place of Tyler Chatwood, who was scratched Wednesday night with right elbow inflammation and placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday morning.
NOTES: Harvey said Thursday morning that his right kneecap was fine. He was hit there by a line drive off the bat of Charlie Blackmon with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday. ... Collins said he wasn't sure who the Mets would recall to replace C John Buck once he leaves the team to be with his wife, who is overdue to deliver their third child. Top prospect Travis d'Arnaud, who is at Class AA Binghamton, was in line to receive the promotion if Buck's wife gave birth during the homestand, but the Mets are headed to the West Coast for 11 games and their Class AAA affiliate is in Las Vegas. ... To make room for Manship on the 40-man roster, the Rockies recalled LHP Christian Friedrich from Colorado Springs and placed him on the 60-day disabled list with lower back inflammation. ... With Thursday's game starting less than 15 hours after Wednesday's ended, Rockies regulars Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, Dexter Fowler and Wilin Rosario all got the day off, though Tulowitzki pinch-hit in the eighth and both Fowler and Helton entered in double switches.
