Dillon Gee’s second-half slide is among the few negatives, pertaining to pitching, the Mets will take from this 2014 season.
The right-hander entered Wednesday with the fifth-worst ERA in the majors since the All-Star break, and saw that number tick upward in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field.
Gee (7-8) allowed four earned runs over 6 ²/₃ innings and boosted his second-half ERA to 4.95.
“A lot of things haven’t gone the way you want them to, but for the most part these last four or five outings I haven’t felt that bad,” Gee said.
The Mets did little to help Gee’s chances of getting the win, finishing 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in completing the 5-5 homestand.
Christian Yelich’s RBI double in the seventh against Josh Edgin gave the Marlins a 4-2 lead and completed Gee’s pitching line. Overall, Gee allowed eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Gee was 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA before hitting the disabled list on May 14 with a strained right lat. Since returning on July 9, his ERA for the season has surged to 3.88.
“He just has not commanded the baseball like he knows how or like he can,” manager Terry Collins said. “That to me is what is standing out. I have not seen Dillon Gee ever miss around the strike zone — the ball is up and in to right-handed hitters — that is what I see is more the issue and it’s going to end up looking bad on the numbers side.”
Donovan Solano’s RBI single in the second extended the Marlins’ lead to 3-0 after Yelich walked with two outs and stole second.
Lucas Duda’s two-run single in the fifth brought the Mets within 3-2, before Marcell Ozuna robbed Wilmer Flores of a game-tying hit with a leaping catch at the fence in left-center.
Gee’s wild pitch in the first inning gave the Marlins their first run before Garrett Jones’ infield squib extended that lead to 2-0. In the inning, Gee allowed four hits and plunked a batter.
The Mets (73-80) will begin their final road trip of the season on Friday, with three games in Atlanta before heading to Washington and then finishing at home against Houston.