Mets At Cubs: Gee Looks To Snap Mets' Three-Game Slide

The best way to forget all the off-the-field nonsense, is to just place baseball, right? Well that would be the solution had the New York Mets actually played to a professional level last night against the Chicago Cubs ... however, that was not the case -- sloppy fielding, poor pitching and basically no hitting (and a possible injury to boot!) led to a 11-1 loss

The Mets said all the right things before the game -- basically that they need no motivation to go out on the field and compete and that their owner's comments will not change their attitudes, but they didn't execute it on the field.

Wednesday night they'll look to forget whatever they showed in the first game of the series as Dillon Gee takes the mound against left-hander Casey Coleman, as the Mets have now lost three straight games.

Gee tossed the game of his life in his last start, no-hitting the Nationals into the sixth inning, while ultimately throwing 7 2/3 innings and allowing five hits and no earned runs. With some of the rotation being very inconsistent, Gee has been a pleasant surprise, as the Mets have won every start he's been involved in this season. He's not overpowering but he keeps the team in the game, and shows a great understanding of the art of pitching.

Coleman is a 23-year-old rookie who is 2-3 on the year, with a 6.03 ERA and 1.89 WHIP. While his best start of the season came against the Marlins in his last start (no earned runs), he's been extremely hittable and very wild, with a 6.55 walks per nine innings ratio. Matt Garza's DL stint keeps the struggling Coleman in the rotation, and it's obvious this is a game the Mets could break out in

One of those batters who may be missing tomorrow is Jason Bay, who was removed in the seventh inning after experiencing stiffness in his right calf muscle. Luckily it doesn't seem serious -- and despite his struggles, the Mets need his presence in the lineup.