Wild Gee endures first loss of season
New York Mets starting pitcher Dillon Gee (35) reacts to the game action in the top of the first inning. (June 21, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Nobody's perfect.
Unfortunately for the Mets, Dillon Gee learned that lesson the hard way.
The 25-year-old rookie had the chance to remain undefeated this season, joining Dwight Gooden as one of four Mets pitchers to start a season 8-0. But Gee was wild rather than dominant Tuesday night, walking a career-high six in four innings in the Mets' 7-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field.
The A's (34-40) have won six games in a row under new manager Bob Melvin.
The pitching woes overshadowed a breakout night for Jason Bay, who went 3-for-3 with a home run in the sixth inning that pulled the Mets -- who were 10-0 when Gee pitched -- to within 7-2. The homer was Bay's first since May 13.
"It's nice to get results. It's just been a battle," Bay said.
The leftfielder narrowly missed hitting his second homer in the eighth when a leaping Coco Crisp got a glove on Bay's deep launch to centerfield. The ball ricocheted off Crisp's glove and fell back into the field of play, allowing Bay to scurry to third base and Angel Pagan to score to make it 7-3. After a 3:55 replay review, the umpires determined Crisp did not deflect the ball over the yellow home run line and upheld the triple.
Bay's offensive surge, however, couldn't undo the mess created by the pitching staff, which equaled a season-high nine walks -- including two with the bases loaded.
"I've got to come out and set a better tone for the game," said Gee (7-1, 3.21), who walked four in the third inning. "I'll state the obvious: I just didn't find it tonight."
Four of the six batters he walked eventually scored as the A's took a 4-0 lead after three innings. But reliever D.J. Carrasco's lack of command in the fifth perhaps was even more infuriating. Carrasco walked two in the two-run inning and allowed another run in the sixth to doom any chance of a comeback.
Gee had been the epitome of consistency, allowing one earned run in three starts this month. But he was far from perfect in this one, walking Jemile Weeks and Cliff Pennington in the first before Crisp singled up the middle to load the bases. Former Yankee Hideki Matsui (1-for-2, two walks) drove in Weeks with a sacrifice fly and Pennington scored on a Conor Jackson groundout.
The third inning was an unsightly case of deja vu, as Gee issued back-to-back walks to Weeks and Pennington to start the inning. Gee got Crisp to fly out, but walked Matsui and Jackson to score Weeks. Ryan Sweeney singled off the glove of Ruben Tejada to score Pennington, making it 4-0.
"That's certainly not the guy we know," Terry Collins said. "You can't do that here. Especially him. He's way too good to walk guys. I don't think he threw a curveball until the third or fourth inning . . . I counted at one time he threw 12 fastballs in a row. That's not Dillon Gee."
Gee said he stayed away from his curveball because he wanted to first "get his fastball going."
Despite having his winning streak snapped at seven games, Gee maintained he's never been concerned with his record. "The frustrating part is I just didn't give us a chance to win tonight."
The Mets (35-38) pulled to within 4-1 in the fourth on a one-out Pagan double that landed untouched as Weeks and Pennington collided. Josh Outman (3-1) then walked Bay, and Ronny Paulino reached on an error by Weeks before Tejada's sacrifice fly scored Pagan.
