Gee gives Collins something to think about
For the Mets, three well-pitched games in a row have translated into their first three-game winning streak of the season. Rookie call-up Dillon Gee was the latest to provide a quality start with six solid innings to get the decision in the Mets' 6-4 victory over Arizona on Saturday, but if you look at his performance going back to last September, it's hard not to say, "Gee whiz, he's been good.''
Coupled with his win a week ago in Atlanta, Gee is 2-0, and he was 2-2 in five starts last September. He's gone at least six innings in every major-league start except the one against the Braves, in which he fell one out short, and the four runs he allowed against the Diamondbacks (only two of which were earned) are the most he's given up.
With Chris Young expected to start Tuesday after a strong side session Saturday, manager Terry Collins has six starters for five spots. Most likely, it will come down to Young, Chris Capuano and Gee.
"It's going to make it really hard the next couple days when we meet as a staff and talk about what our next step is,'' Collins said. "Dillon Gee didn't do anything different than what I expected, and that is attack the strike zone with all his pitches. He started to get the ball up late in the game but really pitched good . . . His changeup was outstanding.''
With a 4-1 lead going into the fourth inning, Gee gave up two unearned runs thanks largely to an error by second baseman Daniel Murphy and a dropped foul pop-up by first baseman Ike Davis after a long run. But Gee retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.
Unfortunately for him, Miguel Montero deposited a changeup on the bridge behind the stands in right-centerfield in the sixth inning, a mammoth blast that tied the score at 4. Gee got the win when the Mets scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.
"I made a couple mistakes today and got away with them,'' Gee said. "Montero's was a really bad pitch. I threw him a lot of changeups, and that one was way too much plate.''
Despite the one that got away, Gee has shown he can give the Mets innings. "Any time you have good results, the confidence is going to rise a little bit,'' Gee said. "It's all about experience. It puts a little notch on my belt, stuff that I can reflect on.''
Gee wasn't ready to hazard a guess about his immediate future. "Seven starts isn't a whole lot,'' he said. "I don't know if I'd say I've 'proven' anything just yet. Hopefully, I make the decision harder.''
Collins said he doesn't want to use Gee as a reliever, so he would return to Triple-A Buffalo if he's not going to start. "Obviously, I want to be here, but if the other guys are going to pitch, I'd rather start,'' Gee said. "No matter where I'm going to be, I want to be a starter. I mean, I'll do whatever they want, but I can see that.''
