Quick Recap: Mets 6, Pirates 5 — Dickey Wins Number 20

After a couple of missteps in the first inning, Dickey settled down to get 13 strikeouts in seven-plus innings (two walks). Those missteps (mostly to Rod Barajas, who swings out of his shoes at everything and happened to make contact on a couple sub-par knuckleballs for a double and a home run) cost him the ERA and WHIP lead among the CY contenders, but it also got him win number twenty, which puts him ahead of everyone save Gio Gonzalez in that category. The strikeouts also pushed him to first in the NL (by 11 over Clayton Kershaw), so it's safe to say that Queens' favorite pitcher is in the lead for the Cy Young.

Dickey can thank Ike Davis, for his 31st home run, and David Wright, for his 21st home run, but singles from Scott Hairston and Daniel Murphy also plated runners. In general, though the team only worked one walk, they made a lot of contact. Only five strikeouts on the afternoon. Even Dickey got in on the action with a slow nibbler that died for an infield base hit. They made their eight hits count by stringing them together at the right times. Dickey can also thank the bullpen for four outs -- birthday boy Jon Rauch, who got two of them before giving up a two-run home run to Alex Presley, and Captain Fastball Bobby Parnell for the other two. Veteran Presents for all!

Dickey has a lot of people to thank for those wins, but not Travis Snider, who grabbed a Mike Baxter drive to rob him of a home run. Snider's catch was probably a top-three catch on the year, but it was also notable for the screaming fan in the background.

Dickey for Cy. Mets win.