Dillon Gee insisted there's no pressure following ace Matt Harvey in the rotation. Still, the crafty right-hander is doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the Mets' All-Star starter.
Gee pitched impressively into the eighth inning a day after Harvey tossed his first career shutout, helping New York beat Colorado 2-1 Thursday and sending the Rockies home after a dreadful road trip.
"Harvey's Harvey. That guy's unreal," Gee said. "I just try to go out there and do what I can do to help win baseball games. Luckily we've been able to do that."
Gee (8-8) scattered eight hits without yielding a walk in 7 2-3 innings to win for the first time since July 14. He allowed Corey Dickerson's homer leading off the fourth inning but no other extra-base hits.
The 27-year-old with a shaved head has pitched at least 6 1-3 innings in each of his last seven games, most by a Mets pitcher this season, and he's 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA in that period.
Unlike Harvey, who has a fastball that reaches 100 mph, Gee works the corners and mixes speeds, frustrating batters.
"Dillon Gee is a prototypical pitcher," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's got four quality major league pitches and when he's using all four he's tough to hit because he has the knack to throw those pitches at any time."
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Rookie Wilmer Flores had an RBI groundout and Anthony Recker a sacrifice fly off spot starter Jeff Manship as the Mets completed their first three-game sweep over the Rockies since 2008 at Shea Stadium.
Manship (0-1) was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs for the start because right-hander Tyler Chatwood had inflammation in his right elbow after a bullpen session Tuesday. Chatwood was throwing to test a tight hamstring that forced Colorado to push back his start two days to Thursday.
Now he's on the DL, the latest blow for the sinking Rockies.
Colorado was 1½ games out of first place in the NL West on July 2 but are 11-21 since to fade from the playoff race. The Rockies lost nine of 10 games on this trip. That matches a 1-9 run from June 22 to July 1, 2007, for the club's worst road trip.
Playing without injured All-Star Carlos Gonzalez the entire series, the Rockies scored just three runs against the Mets, including a 5-0 defeat Wednesday night to Harvey.
"I know it hasn't been pretty on the road this trip," Weiss said. "The bottom line is you've got to make adjustments constantly in this game. Figure out how people are getting you out and make the necessary adjustments. It's a constant battle."
Colorado came out aggressive with a young lineup Thursday, but fizzled quickly.
Gee gave up consecutive singles to start the game. Colorado let him off the hook, though, when D.J. LeMahieu was tagged out trying to advance on Dickerson's flyball to right fielder Marlon Byrd. With a runner on third base, Michael Cuddyer grounded out to second.
"The whole big thing is catch the ball and get it in," Byrd said. "You can't worry about what the runner is doing."
Dickerson led off the fourth with his second homer of the year, a drive into the bullpens in right-center. Cuddyer followed with a single but was caught stealing.
The rest was easy for Gee.
He was pulled to a nice ovation in the eighth after yielding a single to LeMahieu. Scott Rice relieved and walked pinch-hitter Troy Tulowitzki. David Aardsma then got Cuddyer to fly out to left field.
Filling in for injured closer Bobby Parnell, LaTroy Hawkins was perfect in the ninth for his second save.
Manship arrived in New York from Colorado Springs about 5:30 a.m. and was on a big league mound for the first time in a year 7 hours later.
"Jeff did a great job, especially considering the circumstances," Weiss said. "Had to work hard a couple of times to get through some stuff, but kept us in the game. Kept them in check and took care of our bullpen on a day when it could have been rough."
Making his first major league start since May 1, 2010, for Minnesota, he appeared to tire in the fourth, when the Mets went ahead 2-1.
Daniel Murphy and Byrd singled to start it off and Ike Davis walked to load the bases with none out. Flores flung his bat at a low and outside pitch, sending a slow roller to shortstop. Jonathan Herrera charged and made a quick throw across his body to just nab Flores at first, but a run scored to tie it at 1. Recker followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Mets ahead.
Manship lasted one more inning. He gave up two runs, four hits and three walks.
"I felt great out there," Manship said. "I was a little bit tired just before going out there to warm up and everything, but once you get out there and kinda take it all in, you kind of overcome that."
