Dillon Gee had a good outing, Jose Reyes was the tablesetter and new #2 hitter Josh Thole was productive and the Mets broke their losing streak, beating the Braves 3-2.

Game Notes

Dillon Gee in his first start of the season looked great. Gee only got in trouble once, and that was in the second inning after allowing a lead-off triple to Dan Uggla, who would later score on a Freddie Freeman single. Gee managed to get out of that inning on a boneheaded squeeze play that Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson struck out on and Braves LF Eric Hinske got caught napping in between third and home for an unassisted double-play for Josh Thole. Gee stayed in the zone, only walking Eric Hinske twice, with one walk being the last batter he would face. His final line was five and two-third innings allowing one run on five hits striking out four and walking two.

The Mets bullpen today looked great, and it was a combination of logic and dire need. Chris Capuano came out in relief of Gee on his “throw day” and got one clutch out with runners on first and second. R.A. Dickey came out for the seventh, allowing one hit and striking out one on his “throw day”. The usage of starters as bullpen pieces on days they should be throwing can be valuable to Terry Collins and his ability to manage his bullpen. Jason Isringhausen came out for the eighth, and gave up a home run to Jason Heyward before striking out two and catching Brian McCann on a pick-off move. Izzy’s final line was one inning pitched, one run allowed on one hit with two strikeouts. K-Rod came out for the dramatics, and after walking the first batter he faced, Mets killer Chipper Jones, allowed two hits to advance him to third before striking out Brooks Conrad on a filthy 3-2 changeup for his second save of the season.

The bats were held in check today as Tommy Hanson was dealing. They got on him in the first inning, with a Jose Reyes double that missed being a homer by about five feet, and then scoring on a Josh Thole single. Ike Davis would then knock a single to right field, scoring Josh Thole who made an amazing slide to miss the tag of Brian McCann. The Mets offense would not re-appear until the fifth when Jose Reyes singled, stole second and then scored on another Josh Thole RBI single. The combination of Reyes-Thole may have potential to be very effective, but it does displace Angel Pagan for the moment.

Mets as a team – 14 K’s. Every starter, including Dillon Gee had at least one strikeout. Rightfully so, Tommy Hanson was lights out, getting batters looking at his curve.

David Wright – 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. D’OH!

Jose Reyes – 2 for 4. Two runs scored, a walk and a strikeout and the ever marvelous stolen base.

Ike Davis – 2 for 3 with an RBI, a walk and a strikeout.

Brad Emaus – 0 for 3 with a strikeout and a walk, and a double-clutched throw that allowed Uggla to advance to third.

Josh Thole – 2 for 4 with two RBI’s and a run scored. Scary stat, however. Josh struck out for the twelfth time this year against three walks. Last year he struck out 25 times in 202 AB’s, walking 24.

Side Note – Watching Terry Collins fired up after they won aggressively shaking his players hands and patting them away is a good site to see. It makes the game feel more serious and show he wants to win as bad as they do.

Turning Point

When the Braves decided a suicide squeeze was a great idea with a slow runner on third, allowing Dillon Gee to leave the inning surrendering only one run

Game Ball

To Dillon Gee, Jose Reyes and Josh Thole. Each player performed well today.

On Deck

The Mets will have a well-deserved day off, and then return home for a series against the Astros on Tuesday. Jonathon Niese will go up against lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Game time is 7:10 P.M.