MIAMI – Dicky Gonzalez has been the Mets’ anti-Trachsel. Instead of doing just enough to lose – the story of recently-demoted starter Steve Trachsel’s career – Gonzalez does just enough to win.
So ignore his ERA. His numbers last night didn’t look good – seven innings, five earned runs – until you check the final score and see that the Mets have another rare win.
Last night, Gonzalez stopped the miserable Mets’ four-game losing streak by throwing seven innings leading an 11-5 win over Florida.
The Mets, nine games under .500, are 4-2 in games the 22-year-old has started.
Yes, he received double-digit run-support, but five of those runs came in the eighth and Gonzalez had finished his work by then. His pitching allowed the Mets to fight back from a three-run deficit against the Marlins’ wild pitchers, who combined for nine walks.
Gonzalez is immune to the kinds of negative thoughts that seemed to swallow up Trachsel as he got off to his 1-6, 8.24 ERA start. He is relaxed on the mound, seemingly not bothered that he is pitching for the defending NL champs.
“He’s been very steady for us,” Mike Piazza said.
Would Trachsel have righted himself after allowing a couple of bloop hits and a John Mabry two-run homer to develop into a four-run third? Gonzalez did.
“He never got down,” Bobby Valentine said of Gonzalez, who only allowed one more run after that shaky third. “He just kept pitching, throwing strikes and you have to like what you see. He has good mound presence and good stuff.
“After those runs, he got stingy.”
Trachsel is expected back from Triple-A within the week, but Gonzalez has shown he deserves to be in the majors.
With the Mets needing a true long man/spot starter, it is not a given Gonzalez will be sent down. Maybe Trachsel will head to the bullpen.
At a minimum, Trachsel will pitch under pressure, knowing Gonzalez has earned the right to stay in the rotation.
“I don’t know what they are going to do,” said Gonzalez.
Both GM Steve Phillips and Valentine agreed they haven’t decided yet what to do with Gonzalez. Phillips did say before the game he won’t be holding any “white flag” sales – conceding the season and trading veterans. He said he will look for help. The team’s first need is another bat.
Last night, that might not have seemed the case. After all, the Mets scored 11 runs and banged out 13 hits. But, as Valentine noted, the Mets also left 11 runners on base.
But also of importance was that Valentine’s team battled back last night.
Down 4-2, the Mets rallied with three runs in the fifth to take the lead for good. Then, with a 6-5 lead, they broke it open with a five-run eighth.
Robin Ventura started the Mets’ rally in the fifth by knocking an opposite-field RBI single. A Lenny Harris walk loaded the bases to bring up Zeile with one out.
An inning earlier, Zeile had singled to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, and came around to score because of a passed ball and a wild pitch by Florida starter Matt Clement.
In the fifth, Zeile came through again, knocking an RBI single to right off reliever Vladimir Nunez to tie the game. Darryl Hamilton, who received his first start in center, put the Mets ahead with a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, the Mets cracked the 6-5 game wide open.
Timo Perez and Desi Relaford opened the inning with back-to-back bunt singles. New Marlins manager Tony Perez had Ventura intentionally walked to load the bases for Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who had struck out in the sixth with the bags full.
But this time, Shinjo knocked a two-run double into right center. Shinjo, who was in the middle of the beanball flap last weekend at Shea, nearly tossed his bat into the Florida dugout after the hit. He said afterward he didn’t even realize he had done it.
After Perez ignored Hamilton’s .246 average and had him walked to reload the bases, Rey Ordonez knocked a two-run single to right. Darren Bragg, pinch-hitting for Gonzalez, added his own RBI single.
