WHAT IT MEANS: R.A. Dickey is one win away from becoming the team's first 20-game winner since 1990. He shut down the Marlins for the fifth time this season, holding them to six hits and two runs over eight-plus innings. The two runs were credited to Dickey when Jon Rauch gave up a three-run homer to the first batter he faced, John Buck, in the ninth.
Dickey is now 19-6 and will go for No. 20 in the home finale Thursday against Pittsburgh.
WHERE'S FRANK? Closer Frank Francisco has been battling elbow tendinitis, but manager Terry Collins said Saturday that the closer is fine and he'd be able to use him. When presented with a save situation Saturday, though, Collins instead brought in Rauch, who promptly served up Buck's homer.
ALSO ACCEPTING THE AWARD ...: If Dickey wins the Cy Young Award, he might as well bring Miami on stage with him. He's now 5-0 on the year against the Marlins and has allowed only six runs in 39 innings against them. To top it all off, he has one more start lined up against them.
NEARLY A GRAND DAY: Dickey nearly hit a grand slam in the sixth inning. Though it looked like the ball wasn't going to go out of the park, instead likely bouncing off the top of the wall, left fielder Bryan Peterson made a fantastic backhanded grab to rob Dickey of some RBIs.
BAY DAY: If only Jason Bay got to face Mark Buehrle every day. Bay stroked a two-run homer in the second inning. A quarter of his homers and thirty percent of his RBIs have now come against Buehrle. Bay finished 1-for-4.
DUDA GETS IT: Lucas Duda was back in the lineup Saturday after being benched for not running out a ball on Friday. He went 0-for-1 but walked twice and scored a run. When he walked, he definitely had some pep in his step. He was removed, presumably for defensive reasons, in the seventh.
UP NEXT: The Mets will go for the sweep against the Marlins on Sunday as Chris Young (4-8, 4.37 ERA) will oppose Ricky Nolasco (12-12, 4.42). The Mets are currently 2½ games ahead of the Marlins for fourth place in the NL East.
