The three straight losses the Mets have incurred can be summed up as a microcosm of this season as a whole.

While these losses have upheld the notion that there will be no playoffs in Queens this year, it also secured New York as sellers and solved any doubt of what they will be doing leading up to the end of the month.

Tuesday night, Rafael Montero was doomed for failure before he even toed the rubber.

While the 26-year-old didn’t have a great outing, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits over six innings, Montero ultimately had no chance of earning his elusive second big league win because the Mets put a goose egg up on the scoreboard.

New York committed three errors behind Montero; two from T.J. Rivera at the hot corner and a dropped pop up by Lucas Duda as the team hobbled to the finish line, running down the clock again in this lost season.

Whether it’s the trade deadline approaching or the morale down with all the injuries, Mets manager Terry Collins said that you still have to go out there and play the game.

“You’re a New York Met until you’re not — you can’t go home every night and think, ‘Well, gee, where am I going to be tomorrow?’” Collins said. “You have to say to yourself: ‘I’m going to be out there tomorrow at Citi Field. I’ve got to get ready.’ The rest of the stuff is out of your control.”

Infielder Jose Reyes added that the Mets need to shrug it off and bounce back from whatever happens around them.

“This is baseball; you’ve got to bounce back tomorrow,” said the 34-year-old Reyes. “We have to come out tomorrow with good energy, and hopefully we win the game.”

It hasn’t been easy for the Mets by any stretch in 2017, but with the deadline approaching, all they can do is hope the right pieces come the Mets way and that next year will be brighter.

Onward and upward.

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Dillon Gee warming up in the bullpen (Photo by Diana Colapietro)

BROOKYLN, N.Y. – On Sunday afternoon at MCU Park in Coney Island, Mets’ starting pitcher Dillon Gee returned to his old stomping grounds as he made a rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Gee settled in nicely after a rough first inning and tossed 2.2 innings, but he was tagged with the loss after giving up a run on four hits. He also walked one and struck out six.

The Cyclones (11-6) dropped the rubber game 5-4 Sunday against the Staten Island Yankees in the “Battle of the Bridge” series.

Gee threw 55 pitches – which was the exact number he was slated to throw – in addition to a 30-pitch warm-up session. He has been on the disabled list with a strained lat muscle in his right side since May 14.

This was Gee’s second rehab start, as he also started a game last Tuesday in the Gulf Coast League. In that outing, he pitched two scoreless innings and allowed only one hit with two strikeouts.

“I feel good right now, but the big test is always the next day. So hopefully everything goes the way that it’s been going, and hopefully I’ll be out there for the next one.”

It took Gee 24 pitches to get through the first inning Sunday. Yankees’ center fielder Daniel Lopez led off with a bloop double to right. Gee proceeded to walk right fielder Austin Aune before an RBI single up the middle by second baseman Ty McFarland on an 0-2 pitch up in the zone that gave the Yankees their only run off Gee.

He then gave up a single to Yankees’ catcher Isaias Tejeda before striking out two and getting a fielder’s choice grounder to end the inning.

Gee minimized the damage in the first inning, allowing only one run. (Photo by Diana Colapietro)

“It took me a few batters that first inning to get under control,” Gee said. “I’m not going to lie, I had a little adrenaline going into this game. But I felt fine physically and that’s the goal.”

Gee’s second inning started with an error by Cyclones’ second baseman Anthony Chavez. Gee struck out the next batter but then gave up a single to Lopez before retiring the next two.

With 46 pitches through two innings, Gee returned for the top of the third and struck out both men he faced before being relieved by Josh Prevost. Of Gee’s 55 pitches, 36 went for strikes.

He said he would like to improve upon his fastball command in his next start, which the team will determine sometime after reevaluating him Monday to see how he feels.

“The change-up was pretty good, and the slider was actually pretty good,” Gee said. “The off-speed stuff was pretty good for the most part. I just have to get ahead of hitters better. No matter which level you’re at, you have to pitch ahead.”

At age 21, Gee was a member of the 2007 Brooklyn Cyclones. He was mostly a reliever until being called upon to make 11 starts later in the season. He finished that campaign 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA as a starter.

“It’s pretty special this being the place that I started,” he said. “It’s changed so much. It’s a great place to play, it’s a great place to start your pro career, and to come back and make a rehab start here was a lot of fun. It’s good to come back to the place where you start your career.”

Gee is the first Cyclone to be named an Opening Day starter for the Mets. His outing Sunday was the 19th time in Cyclones’ franchise history that a Met played a rehab game in Brooklyn. Gee also became the second player to play for the Cyclones as a minor leaguer and Major Leaguer, joining Angel Pagan who played on the inaugural Cyclones team in 2001 and then with Brooklyn in a rehab game in 2008.

The game remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning when the Yankees tagged Brooklyn righty Corey Oswalt – who had been working on a 13.0-inning scoreless streak through his first two starts – for four runs as they batted around in the frame.

But the Cyclones immediately responded in the bottom of the inning by batting around themselves and plating four runs.

With the bases loaded and none out, third baseman Jhoan Ureña drove in the first run on what would have been an RBI ground out, but Yankees’ pitcher David Palladino dropped the ball covering the bag. Michael Bernal, Tyler Moore and Jeff Diehl each followed with RBI’s.

In the final three innings, the Cyclones only managed two hits against the Yankees’ bullpen and struck out five times. They wound up getting the tying and winning run in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, but catcher Tomas Nido went down swinging to end the threat.

On a positive note, Brooklyn reliever Scarlyn Reyes continues to shine as he threw 3.1 innings of hitless relief.

Meanwhile, Ureña doubled to left field in the first inning to increase his hitting streak to 10 games, becoming only the second Cyclone teenager (19 years old) to have a double-digit hitting streak joining outfielder Alhaji Turay who hit in 12 straight games in 2012.

The Cyclones have Monday off and open a three-game series with the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday upstate. Lefty Alberto Baldonado will bid for his first win of the season in the 7:05 p.m. start.

Click here to view the complete box score of this game.

Gee addresses the media after his start. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

The post Gee Feels Fine After Rehab Start, Cyclones Drop Rubber Game To Staten Island appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets and Angels will play the middle game of their weekend series when Jon Niese opposes Jared Weaver at 9:05 PM.

Niese lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up a pair of runs on six hits, in a 2-1 loss to the Reds in his season debut. He was on a 90-pitch limit after missing time this spring with elbow discomfort.

“We’re going to take the shackles off,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “It will probably be around 105 pitches. He looked pretty good to 90 the other day.”

Travis d’Arnaud homered for the first time in 110 at-bats when he took Tyler Skaggs deep in the third inning to even the score at 2-2 at the time. D’Arnaud’s only other big-league homer came last Aug. 25 against Detroit’s Rick Porcello.

Juan Lagares has hit in six straight games, going 6-22 (.273) and has at least one hit in nine of the 10 games he’s played this season. Overall, Lagares is batting .297 (11-37) with a .341 on-base percentage and has a team-leading six RBI.

Daniel Murphy has at least one hit in seven of the eight games he’s played this year. Murphy is 5-9 over his last two games and has hit in four straight games (6-18, .333). He is hitting .318 for his career with runners in scoring position.

Starting Lineup

1. Eric Young, Jr. – LF
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Curtis Granderson – RF
5. Ike Davis – 1B
6. Lucas Duda – DH
7. Juan Lagares – CF
8. Anthony Recker – C
9. Omar Quintanilla – SS

Game Preview

The Mets continue their series tonight with the Angels as they try to bounce back from their close, 5-4 loss in the series opener. Gee was a little flat at points last night and the team just couldn’t get enough done on the base paths to propel to victory. Tonight, Jon Niese will get his second start of the season as he squares off against Jered Weaver.

Jon Niese had a successful start to the season even though he picked up the loss as he pitched 5.2 innings allowing 2 ER and 6 hits while walking one and striking out 4. His one start against the Angels was forgettable as he allowed 4 ER, 5 total over 4.0 innings with 8 hits. However, the wealth of players who have moved to the Angels in recent years has resulted in some history between the Angels and Niese:

• Ibanez 4-16, HR
• Freese 0-9
• Iannetta 2-6
• Pujols 2-7, 2B, HR
• Aybar 1-3, 3B
• Stewart 1-3
• Kendrick 0-2

Jered Weaver is 0-2 over his first two starts this season allowing 9 runs, 8 earned over 12 innings. In that time he has allowed 11 hits, walked three batters and struck out 12. Last season he went 11-8 with a 3.27 ERA over 24 games and 154.1 innings of work while striking out 117. The season before that he won a league leading 20 games in 30 starts over 188.2 innings. He has made one start against the Mets where he allowed 6 ER over 6.1 innings with 8 hits. The Mets have the following numbers against Weaver:

• Granderson 10-27, 5 HR
• Wright 0-3
• And that’s it. Thanks to a young, National League roster vs an American League team.

Lets Go Mets!

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Adam Rubin posted a great article on Dillon Gee that I would encourage all of you to read. In it, Gee talks about a number of issues both on and off the field including his ordeal with the blocked artery that endangered his health and career.

When asked to share his experience rehabbing from emergency surgery to address a 96 percent blockage of an artery that supplied blood to his pitching arm, Gee said:

“Last year I told myself every day that I was going to be fine. And the doctors told me I was going to be fine,” Gee says. “But there’s always that little bit of uncertainty when you start playing catch and then you go into the season.”

Gee, 27, was the recipient of the 2013 Thurman Munson Award for his charitable work with the children of 9/11 victims. He and his wife Kari Ann recently welcomed their first son Hudson in November.

The Mets righthander was rewarded in arbitration last month and will see his salary rise from $527,375 in 2013 to $3.625 million for the 2014 season.

I love the Dillon Gee story… He comes back from a career threatening blood clot that required arterial surgery and delivers a solid campaign in which he led the team in wins while posting a career best 3.64 ERA and 2.1 BB/9.

He got off to a rusty start in April, but got progressively better as the season wore on and posted some of the best second half numbers in the National League with a 2.74 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and an opposing .280 on-base percentage.

Gee symbolizes what the Mets have been trying to do over the last several seasons and that is to throw strikes and command the zone. He shows that you don’t necessarily need a 98 mph fastball to succeed as long as you can spot your pitches and change speeds the way he does.

Gee is as close to a keeper as one could get, and with all the fireballers expected to pack this rotation by 2015, the Mets are going to need a pitcher like Gee who offers a different look that will only enhance his rotation-mates’ performances and confound opposing teams.

Expect an even better season from Gee in 2014 who has lifted himself from a number five starter to somewhere in the top three spots.

With his health issues behind him (as his numbers have shown), look for Gee to give the team 200 or more innings this season. He is not a power pitcher, but his fastball looks better when his change-up and breaking balls are working.

Gee has already won 13 games (2011) and 12 (last year), so with a little run support and an improved bullpen it is conceivable that he could be a 15-game winner. He has become an integral part of the Mets rotation, and his career performance has quieted his detractors who saw him as a spot starter when he first arrived. Gee is a hell of a lot more than that.

(Photo courtesy of Dillon Gee)

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The Mets and Lucas Duda have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6375 million to avoid arbitration according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Duda had requested a 2014 salary of $1.9 million, while the Mets had countered at $1.35 million.

Mets Arbitration Summary:

Lucas Duda – $1.6375 million
Dillon Gee – $3.625 million
Daniel Murphy – $5.7 million, $50,000 bonus for 500 plate appearances.
Ike Davis – $3.5 million
Bobby Parnell – $3.7 million, $50,000 bonus for 60 appearances.
Eric Young Jr, – $1.85 million
Ruben Tejada – $1.1 million

(Updated 1/22)

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DILLON GEE, RHP

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

Coming off surgery, the expectations were minimal because the Mets didn’t know what they were getting. The surgery was to repair an artery in his shoulder after experiencing numbness in his hand and fingers. As a “feel’’ pitcher, this type of injury was especially serious because it prevented him from getting a grip on his breaking balls and change-up, which were essential to his success. When healthy the book on Gee was is reliability as he pitched at least five innings in 17 starts in 2012, and 12 of those starts were defined as quality. However, like a lot of Mets’ pitchers there was a problem with run support, as he finished 6-7. His 97-29 strikeouts-to-walks ratio was good. If healthy, the Mets slotted him in as the No. 3 starter behind Matt Harvey and Jon Niese.

CAREER STATS

2013 SEASON REVIEW

Gee said he felt good, but it was clear he didn’t have it in the beginning of the season as he was 2-6 with a 5.68 ERA in late May and there talk whether he was lose his job in the rotation when Zack Wheeler was to be promoted to the majors. Then it was as a switch was turned on as he gave up a run in 7.1 innings and struck out 12 in a victory at Yankee Stadium, May 30. All of a sudden, Gee’s change-up was working and Gee went on a roll where he worked into the seventh inning or later in 10 of his next 12 starts. When Harvey went down, Niese had a shoulder issue, and Wheeler was finding his way, Gee emerged as the Mets’ most reliable pitcher. Gee finished at with a 12-11 record with an impressive 3.62 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 3-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Most importantly to Gee, he started 32 games and threw a career-high 199 innings.

LOOKING AT 2014

John Delcos Says: Gee thinks, and rightfully so, that he should throw 200 innings every year. With Harvey gone for the season, he and Niese are slotted 1-2 in the rotation, followed by Wheeler and as of now two question marks. Gee said his health issues are behind him, and the numbers substantiate that claim. Gee is not a power pitcher, but his fastball looks better when his change-up and breaking balls are working. Gee has won 13 games (2011) and 12 (last year), so with a little run support and improved bullpen it is conceivable he could be a 15-game winner. If he makes all his starts and throws 200 innings, then the wins should fall into place. Gee enters the 2014 season as a given in the rotation, and with it, higher expectations than he’s ever had.

Joe D. Says: I love the Dillon Gee story… He comes back from a career threatening blood clot that required arterial surgery and delivers a solid campaign in which he led the team in wins while posting a career best 3.64 ERA and 2.1 BB/9. He got off to a rusty start in April, but got progressively better as the season wore on and posted some of the best second half numbers in the National League with a 2.74 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and an opposing .280 on-base percentage.

Gee symbolizes what the Mets have been trying to do over the last several seasons and that is to throw strikes and command the zone. He shows that you don’t necessarily need a 98 mph fastball to succeed as long as you can spot your pitches and change speeds the way he does.

The Matt Harvey injury means his job is safe, although I wouldn’t be shocked to read a plethora of posts suggesting the Mets trade him. Gee is as close to a keeper as one could get, and with all the fireballers expected to pack this rotation by 2015, the Mets are going to need a pitcher like Gee who offers a different look that would only enhance his rotation-mates’ performances and confound opposing teams. Expect an even better season from Gee in 2014 who has lifted himself from number five starter to somewhere in the top three spots.

The post 2013 Season Review: Dillon Gee, RHP appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets (73-86) lost to the Brewers (72-87) by a score of 4-2 on Thursday night at Citi Field.

Dillon Gee took the ball for the final time this season, and struggled a bit. Dillon gave up 2 walks and 4 singles in the 2nd inning, which allowed Milwaukee to score the only 4 runs they would need. Gee did settle down after that, pitching scoreless ball the rest of the way before departing after the sixth with 4 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts on his line.

The Mets got a run back in the 3rd, when Eric Young walked, stole 2nd (bringing him to 44 on the season, which ties him for the NL lead), and eventually game around to score on a groundout by Daniel Murphy.

Johnny Hellweg went up and in to the next batter, David Wright, and caught him on the helmet with a fastball. Wright was down for a minute or so, but managed to leave the field on his own power after what seemed to (fortunately) be just a glancing blow.

Both teams had chances throughout the game after that point, but neither team managed to get a run on the board until the 9th. Josh Satin hit a ball out to left field which was deemed a home run after video review (bless the robot umps!). With 2 out, Justin Turner hit a rocket to center that went for a double, bringing Lucas Duda to the plate as the tying run. Lucas, however, was unable to capitalize (sound familiar?), as he went down swinging to end the ballgame.

Dillon Gee had one awful inning, but was solid for his other 5 frames. Gee finishes his 2013 season with a 12-11 record and a 3.62 ERA, with a 1.28 WHIP and 142 strikeouts against 47 walks in 199 innings. Gee was dreadful for the first 2 months, but his start against the Yankees in early June completely changed his season, and from that point on, Gee was one of the best pitchers in baseball, putting up a 2.79 ERA after June 1st. After seeing him go through a major health scare last season, it is a relief to see that Dillon is back on track, and this season he showed that he can be a big part of this rotation going forward (or a nice trade chip, if Sandy Alderson decides to go down that path). Don’t be too surprised if Terry sneaks Gee in for 1 more inning in relief this weekend; 200 innings pitched is a very nice milestone for a pitcher.

David Wright can’t catch a break. Less than a week after returning from a long stint on the DL, David got hit in the head, sending him to the ground and giving everybody watching some major Matt Cain Flashbacks. David appeared to be fine (he did not need help walking off the field), but Terry Collins was absolutely right to take him out of the game; there is no reason to risk anything at this point in the year (or ever, when it comes to head injuries). Wright has only played 2 full seasons in the past 5 years… if the Mets want to contend, they need their best player to be on the field.

Eric Young stole 2 more bases tonight. Young provides great defense in the outfield and incredible speed at the top of the lineup, and has definitely earned himself a spot on the club next year, possibly in a starting role.

Travis d’Arnaud is really starting to put it together. Travis went 2-3 with a walk tonight, and finally has his average up to 200. Travis is now 10 for his last 25 (.286) and continues to boost his OBP by drawing walks thanks to his great plate discipline. I would like to see more of the defense we have heard so much about (seriously… is he an elite defender or not? If he is, it shouldn’t take very long to show up, unless he is just getting comfortable). I would also like to see a bit more power; the Mets need Travis to be a 25-30 HR guy. Still, he is getting on base more and more often as the season winds down, and it is good to see that our best prospect is starting to put it all together.

The biggest negative from tonight? We lost… which is actually a positive. Studies have shown that it is better to have a top-ten draft pick than it is to not have a first-round pick at all.

The Mets have 3 more games left in 2013, and it would be nice to see the younger players continue to develop as the team plays out the string, so we can have more to look forward to heading into 2014, which is such an important year for this franchise.

The Mets will take on the Brewers at 7:10 PM on Friday night. Carlos Torres (4-5, 3.36 ERA) will face off against Yovani Gallardo (11-10, 4.23 ERA) at Citi Field.

The post Mets Fall Short in Gee’s Final Start of the Year appeared first on Metsmerized.

There was something Sandy Alderson said during his interview on WFAN on Tuesday that made me laugh. When Mike Francesa brought up how well Dillon Gee had been pitching, the Mets GM responded:

“I told Dillon after his last game, remember what I told you two months ago: The other guys are getting the headlines, and you’re getting the wins.”

In his team-leading and career-high 28th start, Gee delivered another stellar performance and held the Braves to one run in seven innings on Wednesday as the Mets avoided a sweep and won the series finale 5-2.

Gee, whose ERA stood at an unsightly 6.34 after his first ten starts, improved to 11-9 on the season with a 3.53 ERA. He’s on a remarkable 18 start stretch in which he’s produced a 2.40 ERA. He now leads the team in starts as well as wins, and who could honestly say they saw that coming?

“My main goals this year coming into spring training were to get to 200 innings and take the ball every time it was my turn,” said Gee after the game. “I’ve done that so far.”

Coming into this season, there were doubts about Gee’s ability to hold onto a rotation spot. There were serious concerns about his ability to come back from surgery to repair an artery in his shoulder after an MRI revealed a dangerous blood clot. It’s safe to say that Gee has exceeded all expectations and has solidified himself as one of the mainstays in the Mets rotation.

“I have never been that highly touted guy that everybody knew had great stuff,” Gee said.

Part of the reason for his success has been his improved control and command which cannot be understated. In his last ten starts he has a 1.94 ERA in 69.2 innings with 12 walks and 37 strikeouts. In seven of those ten starts he’s walked one or less batters.

“He is not walking anybody,” said Terry Collins. “And therefore he’s saving those pitches and he’s getting easy outs.”

Gee has given the Mets a certain comfort level after the stunning news that Matt Harvey could be facing Tommy John surgery this winter. The righthander now gives the Mets a starter than can be relied on to take the ball every five days and deliver a quality start.

Once looked upon as just a number five or spot starter, Gee is now the veteran of the rotation and he gives the Mets a little bit of certainty as they head into next season with a number of serious questions – chief among them being the Harvey situation.

The post Suddenly, Gee Has Become The Mets’ Most Reliable Starter appeared first on Metsmerized.

TIGERS LEAVE METS IN TATTERS AFTER 11-3 MAULING

The Mets got pounced on by the Tigers who beat them 11-3 this afternoon at Citi Field to complete a three game sweep and leave them licking their wounds.

Dillon Gee started for the Mets and wasn’t nearly as sharp as we’ve seen from him of late. The right-hander let up four runs and got knocked around for ten hits including home runs to Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera, his 42nd homer of the season. Gee walked two and struck out two in his 6.0 innings of work while seeing his ERA rise to 3.69 for the season.

After David Aardsma gave up a single to start off the seventh, Scott Rice came in and got all three outs in the seventh. Carlos Torres followed that up with a scoreless eighth. Then came the ugliest ninth inning of relief I’ve seen this season…. This was brutal to watch…

LaTroy Hawkins came in to pitch the ninth and gives up three straight singles to load the bases with one out. Victor Martinez then stepped up to the plate and ripped another single to drive home Torii Hunter. Things got uglier when Hawkins walked Andy Dirks to force home another run and chase Hawkins out of the game with the Tigers up 6-3.

But the worst was yet to come…

Scott Atchison relieved Hawkins and was immediately greeted by an RBI-single by Omar Infante. He then uncorks a wild pitch that allowed the runner from third to score. Back-to-back singles would plate another pair of runs, and then another wild pitch would bring the runners to get into scoring position. A sacrifice fly would follow and when it was all over, the Tigers were ahead 11-3. Wow…

The only highlight of the game for the Mets, came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Center fielder Juan Lagares singled with two outs to bring up catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who then blasted a 2-run homer to deep left-center to give the Mets a very temporary 3-2 lead. It was his second big league hit since his promotion and his first major-league homer which came on a 90 mph fastball.

After rounding the bases and greeting Lagares at home, D’Arnaud then came out of the dugout for a curtain call and waved his hat to the fans at Citi Field who were still applauding.

“I just put my head down and started running,” d’Arnaud said. “The fans let me know it was gone.” D’Arnaud called it an unbelievable experience. “I was speechless. It was an unbelievable feeling.”

Aside from that, this was a brutal game and the Mets were absolutely annihilated by the Tigers this weekend, who swept the series and left the Mets for dead.

The Mets will try to recover tomorrow when they host the Phillies for the start of a four-game set at Citi Field. Rookie Zack Wheeler will oppose the veteran Cliff Lee at 7:10 PM.

The post D’Arnaud Homers, But Mets Can’t Avoid Sweep After 11-3 Mauling By Tigers appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mets at Dodgers • 10:10 PM • Dodger Stadium

Dillon Gee (8-8, 3.82) vs Chris Capuano (4-6, 4.50)

Starting Lineup

1. Juan Lagares CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. Josh Satin 3B
4. Marlon Byrd RF
5. Justin Turner SS
6. Ike Davis 1B
7. Andrew Brown LF
8. John Buck C
9. Dillon Gee RHP

Game Notes 

• Matt Harvey is enjoying a spectacular season, but as he showed Tuesday, even he is susceptible to a bad night. Lacking command of his off-speed pitches, Harvey was tagged for four runs on eight hits over six innings against the Dodgers, his ERA rising from 2.09 to 2.23.
• Wilmer Flores, who tweaked his right ankle in the series opener Monday rounding second base, was held out of the lineup Tuesday after the ankle worsened. Flores could be a candidate for the disabled list if the condition doesn’t improve. Flores is hitting .259 with a home run and nine RBIs over his first seven major league games.
• Dillon Gee takes an 8-8 record and 3.82 ERA into his start Wednesday against the Dodgers. Gee was stellar in his last outing, giving up just one run on eight hits over 7 2/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Rockies. Gee is 2-1 with a 1.43 ERA over his last five starts. In three career starts vs. the Dodgers, Gee is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA.
• Juan Lagares hit his second homer in his past four games (third in 78 games this season) to give the Mets ahead 1-0 in the first inning against the Dodgers on Tuesday. Lagares is batting .313 (30-for-96) with six doubles, three triples, three homers and 14 RBIs in 26 games since the All-Star break.
• LaTroy Hawkins has a 0.75 ERA since the All-Star break, fifth best in the National League with a minimum on 10 innings pitched. He’s given up one earned run in 12 innings. Hawkins has issued just nine walks on the season.
• Jeremy Hefner is scheduled for a follow-up examination Wednesday on his sore right elbow, which has caused him discomfort since spring training. Hefner, who was optioned to the minors on Sunday, may land on the disabled list.

Game Preview

The Mets have dropped their last two at Dodgers Stadium and they look to correct that tonight as Dillon Gee goes up against a former Met in Chris Capuano. Dillon Gee is 8-8 this season with a 3.82 ERA over 139.0 innings while striking out 101 batters. In his last two starts he has pitched 14.2 innings allowing only 2 ER (one in each start) and two walks while striking out 7 batters. He missed the Dodgers earlier this year but last year he allowed 4 runs, 2 earned over 6 innings of work. The Dodgers have the following numbers against him:

Uribe 1-7, 2B
Ethier 0-4
AJ Ellis 1-3, 2B
Gordon 1-2
Ramirez 1-2

The Mets get a look at their strong starter back in the 2011 season tonight. Chris is 4-6 over 80.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA. His two August starts have been very different. He was fantastic in his first start shutting out his opponent in 6.1 innings of work. Last time out he allowed 5 ER over 4.1 innings. He missed the Mets earlier this season but last year over two starts he allowed 6 ER over 14.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Capuano:

Byrd 4-12, 2B
Buck 0-10
Davis 1-6
Young 3-4
Brown 2-3, 2B

Lets Go Mets!

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