http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/sports/baseball/mets-and-bartolo-colon-prevail-in-a-shutout-win-over-the-twins.html 2016-09-17 05:20:42 Mets and Bartolo Colon Prevail in a Shutout Win Over the Twins Despite a few lapses, the Mets easily beat the Twins, 3-0, at Citi Field. === Mets “I looked into the paper this morning — the Heeding Collins’s warning, the Mets, despite had a few lapses, easily swatted away the Twins with a 3-0 win at Citi Field on Friday. Bartolo Colon Max Kepler led off the fourth by hitting a routine line drive to left field, where Yoenis Cespedes barely budged from his spot, casually lifted his glove but dropped the ball, the kind of blunder Collins had worried about. But Colon regrouped to pick off Kepler during the next at-bat and retired the Twins in order. Colon then waited for Cespedes to jog in from left and consoled him with a slap on the back. Afterward, Cespedes did not miss another fly ball hit in his vicinity. He atoned further with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning, tacking another run onto the 2-0 lead Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera had created with back-to-back home runs in the third. With Colon cruising, Collins faced few managerial conundrums. In the coming days, when he encounters those instinctual situations that define pennant races, there will be more options at his disposal. Before Friday’s game, Juan Lagares was activated from the disabled list. He had not played since July 28 after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. On Saturday, Lucas Duda is expected to come off the disabled list, where he has been since May with a stress fracture in his lower back. On Sunday, Jacob deGrom will make his first start since Sept. 1 after experiencing soreness in his right forearm. With an influx of new ingredients at his disposal, Collins can become an artisanal manager, using the specialized skills of his roster as the Mets attempt to return to the postseason. With their victory, the ninth in 12 games, the Mets hold at least a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for the last National League wild-card spot with 15 games remaining. Lagares still has not been able to pick up a bat, so he will be used as a defensive replacement and perhaps as a pinch-runner. For the time being, Duda will come off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Collins said that while Duda might eventually be back in the starting lineup, it would be unfair to slot him immediately in the middle of the order when he has not faced major league pitching for close to four months. Wilmer Flores may also be a few days away from returning after receiving a cortisone injection for inflammation in his wrist. Steven Matz, whom the Mets had hoped could pitch in tandem with deGrom on Sunday, will throw a bullpen session Saturday to determine his next step. With a suddenly crowded rotation, Collins did not rule out using Matz out of the bullpen if he returns. The Mets have been reinforced by the unexpected contributions of unsung prospects and veteran reserves, but the return of a former Gold Glover in Lagares and of a legitimate slugger in Duda could further strengthen the team. And even though Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo have thrived as starters, a healthy deGrom could be pivotal in determining how far the Mets travel into October. DeGrom won two games in last year’s National League division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, including the deciding Game 5. He won another game in the National League Championship Series. All three postseason victories came on the road. DeGrom threw about 30 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, with Collins reporting that he had looked “great.” Collins said he expected deGrom to throw 75 on Sunday. “We’re hoping that we can get him back up to where, if we get in the postseason, he’s a viable option for us,” Collins said. “We certainly think he’s going to be fine, but we don’t have a crystal ball to know what’s going to happen here after he throws Sunday.” In theory, the Twins (55-93) should be an ideal tuneup for deGrom. Including Minnesota, the Mets have only one series against a team that entered Friday with a .500 record — the Miami Marlins — allowing for a sliver of wiggle room for some fine-tuning as the Mets try to reacclimate old familiar pieces in their playoff pursuit.