Mets 5, Rockies 1: Logan Verrett solves Coors Field

The New York Mets are refusing to lose and give ground to Washington in the National League East. The Mets continued to win with their third in a row Wednesday behind outstanding work on the mound from Jacob deGrom.

For a while Sunday, the rookie did a pretty impressive impression. Not Friday. Blasting his opposite-field grand slam off Gray in the second, Cespedes transformed a 3-1 Mets lead into a 7-1 game. Center fielder Charlie Blackmon hit his 14th homer to finish Niese (8-9), who gave up a season-high tying 11 hits and seven runs.

“I made some mechanical adjustments this week”, Hale said. “He laughed. He’s a good guy”. We saw it on display. He made 309 appearances and had 58 saves for the Rockies since they acquired him from Cleveland in July 2009 for a minor league pitcher….

Gray, who was making just his fourth career start, said he lacked the control that he had in the past couple of outings, including a no-decision earlier this month in New York in which he pitched six innings and limited the Mets to one run. “Matt needed a break and got it and this kid really stepped up”. “He was a little woozy so we got him out of there”, Weiss said.

The Mets in back-to-back games beat the Rockies with identical 14-9 scores. Instead of the Rockies taking their first lead of the game, the Mets escaped without further damage.

The Mets outscored the Rockies 33-19 in the series and totaled 45 hits.

Hale (3-5) threw a pair of wild pitches while Anthony Recker was batting in the second inning, both allowing a run to score. Collins pulled Verrett for a pinch-hitter after 93 pitches and went with Hansel Robles for the ninth. He also struck out nine. “It took a few innings to get used to it”. He also added two walks and a stolen base in one of his best games in an injury-plagued season. “I had good command of my curveball and my changeup and was able to (build) off of that”. Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood threw 25 pitches in his third simulated game as he continues his comeback from his second Tommy John surgery on July 24, 2014….

The Rockies continued to try and get back into the game as Jose Reyes hit a solo shot (6) off lefty Eric O’Flaherty to make it 14-8. First baseman David Murphy doubled home a run in the first.

Colorado has lost 11 of 13.

After watching his performance, Collins told the media, “I think what we did was the right thing”. Wright has been out since April 14. Weiss said he checked out OK but he wanted to give him a day off….

“They either knew what was coming or it was one of those days”, he said. Next stop for Collins’ crew is Philadelphia, for a four-game series against a recently improved but hardly intimidating Phillies team that only can realistically hope to avoid last place.

Nick Hundley tied the game for the home team in the fifth inning, smacking an RBI triple off of Sean Gilmartin, who relieved Colon after the Arenado dinger.