Gee, Wright help Mets beat Padres

SAN DIEGO -- The deception of Dillon Gee's changeup, along with some sleight-of-hand trickery from David Wright, helped make the Mets' frustration disappear Wednesday night at PETCO Park.

Gee, at one time the Mets' most reliable starting pitcher, had become their most puzzling in recent weeks. But he rediscovered himself, allowing one run in 62/3 innings. Wright, who smacked a three-run homer, was responsible for an even bigger highlight by fooling Cameron Maybin on a dive-and-deke play during the Mets' 7-3 victory over the Padres.

There's no disguising the fact that the Mets wrapped up their road trip through Arizona and San Diego at a disappointing 2-4. Wednesday's win was No. 60, but with 39 games left, there remain other goals besides the shattered dream of a postseason berth.

"I really think it's all about how you finish," Gee said.

After a bumpy first inning, Gee (11-4) settled down to retire 12 of 16, the only hit during that stretch coming on an infield single. He allowed five hits and one run -- the first Mets starter since Mike Pelfrey on July 5 to allow fewer than two runs in a game.

That snapped a streak of 36 games, the longest such stretch in one season since the 2002 Orioles had a streak of 42 consecutive games with a starter giving up two or more runs. Baltimore had matched a streak by the 1982 Mets.

That was more like the Gee who rolled to a 7-0 record with a 2.86 ERA in his first 13 starts this season. Since then, he's 4-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 10 starts. As happy as Terry Collins was with Gee's performance, he still had to worry after Gee got nailed on the right knee in the seventh inning. Fortunately, Gee was OK.

"What else can happen on this trip?" Collins thought to himself at the time. Afterward, he took comfort in Gee's resurgence. "He pitched like he knows how," Collins said. "That's how he's successful. What he showed today was what we've come to expect from him."

The Mets needed Manny Acosta to rescue them in the seventh. With two outs, Tim Byrdak replaced Gee and walked pinch hitter James Darnell to load the bases. The bullpen already had a 5.62 ERA for this month -- the worst in the majors -- and it looked as if it might get worse. But Acosta whiffed Jason Bartlett, then struck a celebratory pose before leaving the mound.

In the first inning, Wright struck out looking at a 1-and-2 fastball, and he fell behind again 1-and-2 to Mat Latos (6-12) in the third. But on a 2-and-2 pitch, Wright swung at the fastball this time and drilled his 10th homer. Wright joined Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry as the only players to hit 10 or more homers in eight straight seasons for the Mets. Only Wright and Strawberry did in their first eight major-league seasons.

After waking up the Mets' offense, Wright also provided a spark with his glove in the fourth inning to get Gee out of a tight spot. With two outs and Maybin at second, Logan Forsythe smacked a hard ground ball down the third-base line.

Wright made a great diving stop behind the bag and saved a run by keeping the ball in the infield. But when he jumped to his feet, Wright made a pump fake to first. The ploy fooled Maybin, who wandered too far off third, and that allowed Wright to slap the tag on him for the final out.

"I try that play a handful of times in a season and maybe it works once," Wright said. "I'm glad that he's fast because it doesn't work on guys that aren't fast. They just stop."