NEW YORK — Mets manager Terry Collins said Wednesday afternoon he’d know pretty quickly whether right-hander Dillon Gee was ready to pitch after missing almost two months with a right lat strain.
“Dillon is always going to be the kind of guy that when he says he’s ready it’s because his command is where it needs to be,” Collins said. “And if it is, he’ll get outs.”
Gee immediately proved his manager correct by allowing one run over seven crisp innings and earning the win as the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 at Citi Field.
Before the game, Collins said Gee would throw no more than 95 pitches, but it appeared as if Gee might make a pitch count a moot point when he carried a one-hitter into the sixth inning and recorded nine of his first 18 outs on three pitches or less.
Gee allowed his lone run in the sixth: Opposing right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana singled to third base and scored on center fielder B.J. Upton’s double. Gee wriggled out of trouble in the seventh, when the Braves had runners at first and second with one out. He was lifted after allowing consecutive singles to open the eighth.
Gee, who hadn’t pitched for the Mets since May 10, allowed six hits and one walk while striking out four. He threw 85 pitches, 61 for strikes.
“About as good as you can possibly do,” Collins said. “Made pitch after pitch.”
It was the type of outing the Mets have come to expect from Gee, who is 14-6 with a 2.67 ERA in 31 starts since May 30, 2013. He has emerged as the Mets’ most reliable pitcher despite a seemingly pedestrian arsenal and an often-uncooperative body.
Gee’s fastball rarely hits 90 mph, but he impeccably spots it and keeps hitters off-balance with a slider, changeup and curveball.
He said his game plan is to set up opponents so they never know what he’s going to throw. “No matter what count it is,” he said, “I always want doubt in their mind.”
The lat strain was just the latest injury suffered by Gee, who rehabbed a partially torn labrum while at Triple-A in 2009 and had his 2012 season cut short by surgery to repair a damaged artery in his shoulder.
Gee also battled a chronic ankle problem as a minor-leaguer and pitched through forearm soreness last year.
“When I first came here (as a minor league field coordinator in 2010), he had a bad ankle,” Collins said. “He had a bad arm. He had a bad elbow. He’s gone through the shoulder issues. He’s a battler. That’s what’s gotten him here.
“He’s not one of those guys that’s blessed with eye-opening stuff. He’s blessed because he knows how to pitch. He knows how to use his stuff. And therefore, when he goes through a tough time, he’s already had to overachieve to get here. It’s part of his whole makeup. And that’s what makes him good.”
Fantasy Update: If you are in need to starting pitching, then you should consider adding Gee, who looked great Wednesday night. Or at least start him when he pitches against Atlanta. He owns the Braves.