He’s not in the mix for the Cy Young Award, but he is a huge reason that the Mets are sitting in a playoff spot with 15 games to play and only teams with losing records remaining on their schedule. “We’re going to look for another opportunity”.
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But for each seeming major setback there has been a tiny surprise to make up for it. Call-ups Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo stepped into the rotation and are a combined 6-3.
Curtis Granderson’s homer in the 11 tied the game and his blast in the 12 won it for the Mets, who defeated the Twins, 3-2, on Saturday night at Citi Field. “He was getting dizzy, so I took him out”. “He must have made some good pitches, worked the corner of the plate, got ahead of some guys”.
Colon bolted off the mound to start a nifty double play in the first and left the bases loaded with two outs in the third, the only time Minnesota could get anyone in scoring position against him.
“That’s a routine play”, Colon said through an interpreter. “And tonight, those guys did that”.
Matched against a pitcher almost half his age, Colon also helped himself with his glove – starting an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play in the first and covering first base on a grounder to the right side in the seventh. Matt Harvey was lost to surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in July, and now deGrom is gone too. I don’t know why it happened.
Whether he makes another start is dependent on if Matz is ready to return from a shoulder injury.
J.O. Berrios only gave up two earned runs in four innings. He recorded four strikeouts in four innings along with his first career hit in the third inning.
“I’m a veteran, it’s a game and I’m happy to be out there”, Colon said. He also struck out two to end the fourth with a runner on first and would have likely had his first career win had Brian Dozier not singled to extend his hitting streak to 22. The left-hander, who hasn’t pitched in a game since August 13 because of left shoulder impingement, is expected to rejoin the Mets this week “with an opportunity to pitch”, according to Collins, after throwing a bullpen session Saturday at the team’s minor league complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Mets envisioned Dilson Herrera as the second baseman for next season but had to deal him to get Bruce in a trade from Cincinnati. However in the bottom of the inning, the Mets tied things up with a Curtis Granderson home run. Their makeshift lineup featured Alejandro DeAza leading off and Cespedes batting third between Rivera and Conforto.
Gibson allowed three runs and six hits in five-plus innings while Robbie Grossman went 4-for-4.
“I look at all the at-bats today, and that was probably the biggest one”, Collins said. “I just kind of walked out of the bullpen kind of not feeling like I like to feel”.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson draws the start for the Twins (55-94).
“At the end of the day, kind of doesn’t mean anything, to be honest with you”, Dozier said.
NOTES: Mets 2B Neil Walker (back), who had surgery to fix a herniated disk earlier this month, said he is feeling better although the numbness is still there.
Collins doesn’t expect it to be an issue Monday, when the Mets begin a three-game series with the Braves.
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Twins: LF Eddie Rosario didn’t play after hurting his left thumb while diving into first base Saturday. The news seemed to hang over them as they couldn’t mount anything against Twins starter Ervin Santana. Manager Terry Collins said Flores tried to swing a bat but was unable to do so.
