Gut Reaction: Mets 14, Rockies 9 (8/21/15)

The Mets prove that nothing’s better for slumping bats than a trip to Coors Field, as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead and hung on for a 14-9 win over the Rockies Friday night. The Mets’ win and the Nats’ loss gives New York a five-game lead in the East.

• Yoenis Cespedes had one of the greatest offensive days in Mets history. His final line read: 6 5 5 7 and that only tells part of the story. He had a double, three homers a single and he was robbed of an extra-base hit by a nice fielding play by Carlos Gonzalez in the ninth inning. Cespedes had two shots at a four-homer game, something no Met has ever done. Instead, he became the third player this year to hit three homers in a game for the Mets.
• Travis d’Arnaud and Michael Conforto blasted back-to-back homers for the Mets in the seventh. Conforto turned on an inside pitch. Everyone expects he’ll go to the minors to make room for David Wright. It may be the right move but it still stinks. At least he’ll be back on 9/1.
• After Cespedes hit a grand slam, the Mets staked Bartolo Colon to a 7-1 lead. He couldn’t hold it and didn’t complete four innings. He’s alternated good and bad starts the past eight outings. And when he’s been bad, he’s been awful. In those four bad starts, he’s allowed 24 ER in 17 IP.
• Sean Gilmartin got the vulture win. Despite all the runs, the Mets had to use both Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia in this game. Going short with Logan Verrett slated to start Sunday and the useless LOOGY left Terry Collins little choice.
• Jose Reyes was 0-5. Anyone who saw his sublime play in the first half of 2011 has to be sad to see he’s just a shell of the player he once was.