NEW YORK -- A microcosm of Dillon Gee's up-and-down season was on display Wednesday night in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.
The right-hander was in trouble from the start, giving up singles to three of the first four Marlins he faced. He then threw a pitch behind catcher Travis d'Arnaud, which allowed a run to score. Gee hit the next batter, Reed Johnson, with another pitch.
In fact, before the Mets had even stepped up to the plate, Gee (7-8) had given up two runs on four hits, plus the HBP. But after surrendering another earned run in the second inning, Gee settled down and found his rhythm, eventually finishing with 6 â…” innings pitched, seven hits, four runs and two strikeouts.
“We gotta get Dillon going somehow,” Terry Collins said. “We gotta find out what’s going on. He just hasn’t been the same guy in the second half.”
Gee started the year 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA through eight games before a strained lat muscle sidelined him for two months. He’s gone 4-7 since returning, with a 4.63 ERA over that span.
“I think it’s more than the numbers," Collins said. "His numbers are dictated by the fact that he has just not commanded the baseball like he knows how or like he can. I have not seen Dillon Gee ever miss around the strike zone. That’s what I see as the issue.”
For his part, Gee thinks his performance is just part of the up-and-down nature of the game.
“I think the last few [starts] I’ve felt fairly normal,” Gee said. “A lot of things haven’t gone the way you want them to. Tonight was just another example. I felt like I threw the ball well. I was mixing it. Early on I was getting the contact I was looking for. It just wasn't working out. I was able to battle through six and two-thirds.”
Gee is slated to get one last start this season, in Washington. Collins expects he won’t know which version of the pitcher -- good or bad -- he’ll have going forward until spring training.“Certainly Dillon Gee can win at this level,” Collins said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
One bright surprise for Gee was a single in the fifth inning that snapped an 0-for-41 streak dating back to Sept. 15, 2013.
More importantly, it briefly catalyzed the Mets’ offense. Matt den Dekker pushed Gee to second on a single. Two batters later, Lucas Duda knocked them both in to cut the Marlin’s lead to 3-2.
The Marlins held the Mets at bay the rest of the way.