The Mets had surrendered 21 runs in a humbling three-game sweep in Pittsburgh. Bartolo Colon had struggled to a nearly four-figure ERA in his previous three starts, bottoming out when he was battered Wednesday against St. Louis.
But after manager Terry Collins called a team meeting Sunday and turned to Colon to play stopper, the veteran did just that with his first quality start in three weeks. He pitched the Mets to a slump-busting 6-3 victory over Philadelphia, and tied for the major league lead with his seventh win.
“It always helps [in calling a meeting] when you’ve got a pro like Bartolo coming the next day, because you know exactly what he’s going to give you,” Collins said. “He’s going to keep you in the game, and allowed us to get some big hits.
“He’s [played stopper] for a long time, been one of those guys that everybody turns to. … It’s nice to have Bartolo, who isn’t going to beat himself out there. If he makes pitches and you catch the ball behind him, you’re going to look up in the seventh inning and you’re going to be in the game. You can win some of those games to help you get going.’’
Colon (7-3) gave the Mets a better chance than Noah Syndergaard, Jon Niese and Matt Harvey had in Pittsburgh when they were strafed by a combined 21-4 margin. Colon’s control wasn’t his pinpoint best, but he held the Phillies to just six hits and three runs in his six resourceful innings.
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“It means a lot to me that TC and the whole coaching staff feel the same way, that I’m going to give that opportunity to win every time I go out there,’’ said Colon. “I just make sure I’m an example to the young guys so they can work hard every day and be ready and give the best they can to the game.
“It’s really good to be in that position, and after a meeting like [Sunday] to motivate and push everybody. It’s important for me. I like that. It’s a challenge.’’
Colon hadn’t risen to it lately, going 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA in his three previous starts, allowing nine runs in his outing against St. Louis. But on Memorial Day — also the birthday of his late mother Adriana, who died last August from cancer — Colon said he was inspired.
“It was extra motivation, but the most important part is the team got the ‘W,’ ’’ said Colon, 42, who was bled for four straight two-out hits in the third inning but retired Maikel Franco to limit the damage to two runs. He loaded the bases in the fifth, but got Ryan Howard on a fly to deep center.
Colon’s awkward swing produced just his second hit of the year in the fifth, and he even tagged up on a fly ball, taking third.
“I was thinking about stealing before tagging,’’ Colon, who tied Felix Hernandez and Michael Wacha for the major league lead in wins, said jokingly.
“There’s not a whole lot that Bartolo does that doesn’t entertain us, and everybody else in the stadium,’’ catcher Anthony Recker said. “He’s fun to watch, all the time.’’