Colon collects 14th win in Mets' 3-0 victory
NEW YORK -- Ageless right-hander Bartolo Colon picked up a win by throwing seven scoreless innings Friday night and Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera provided all the offense he needed with back-to-back homers in the third inning of the New York Mets' 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field.
The win ensured the Mets (78-69) would remain at least one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the National League's second wild-card spot. The Cardinals played the San Francisco Giants, who began Friday a game ahead of the Mets for the first wild-card spot, later Friday.
New York was 5 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot as recently as Aug. 19 but is 18-7 since then.
The Twins (55-93) have lost eight of 12 and need to go 8-6 the rest of the way to avoid the franchise's first 100-loss season since 1982.
The 43-year-old Colon (14-7) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six in lowering his ERA to 3.14, a mark bettered by only four pitchers age 43 or older -- Cy Young (2.53 in 1910), Jack Quinn (2.90 in 1928), Nolan Ryan (2.91 in 1991) and Phil Niekro (3.09 in 1984).
Colon ran into trouble just once when opposing pitcher Jose Berrios singled for the Twins' first hit with two outs in the third. It was the first career hit for Berrios.
Brian Dozier followed with an infield single and Colon walked Joe Mauer for the second time before Jorge Polanco flied out to left.
Reyes and Cabrera opened the bottom of the third with their homers -- the second time they've hit back-to-back homers this season.
Eons Cespedes added an RBI single in the seventh for the Mets.
Addison Reed threw a perfect eighth and Jeurys Familia secured his 49th save despite walking two in the ninth.
Dozier's single extended his hitting streak to 20 games.
Berrios (2-7) took the loss after allowing two runs, four hits and three walks while striking out four in four innings.
NOTES: The Mets activated CF Juan Lagares (torn ligament in left thumb) from the 15-day disabled list. Lagares, who has been out since July 29, will serve as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. ... Mets RHP Jacob deGrom (right forearm) will start Sunday's series finale. He will be on a pitch count of about 75 in his first appearance since Sept. 1. ... The Twins' starting lineup entered Friday with 22 combined at-bats against 43-year-old Mets RHP Bartolo Colon. Manager Paul Molitor, who retired in 1999, had eight at-bats against Colon, a total exceeded only by C Kurt Suzuki. ... Molitor said he had no update on INF/OF Miguel Sano, who went back to Minneapolis on Thursday to have his sore back examined.