Bartolo Colon shows Noah Syndergaard the way of maximum efficiency

12:19 AM ET

NEW YORK — New York Mets manager Terry Collins didn’t have any sort of talk or strategy session after Monday’s rainout with regards to setting the order of his starters for Tuesday’s doubleheader.

“Noah, you’re pitching Game 1. Bartolo, you’re pitching Game 2,” Collins told his starters, and that was that.

As it turned out, the order was important, because after young superstar Noah Syndergaard faltered in a few areas in Game 1, ageless wonder Bartolo Colon showed him how to get things done in the best possible way.

Perhaps Syndergaard will take something from it next time out. When Colon homered in San Diego against the Padres, Syndergaard followed by homering twice against the Dodgers in his next start. After that game, he tweeted, “Tonight was a direct result of Bartolo inspiring me to be a better man.”

Colon was the better man Tuesday in the Mets’ 3-1 win in the nightcap. He threw a highly efficient seven innings, allowing one run and three hits and tied a season high with eight strikeouts to win his ninth game of the season (for whatever it’s worth, he and Syndergaard both have 9-5 records).

This was the third time in Colon’s time with the Mets that he pitched at least seven innings and allowed three or fewer hits, and his first time since July 1, 2015.

Colon was hooked after seven innings despite having thrown only 87 pitches. That’s because with Monday’s rainout, the Mets needed a Saturday starter, and they’ll go to Colon on three days’ rest. It will be the first time Colon made a start on three days’ rest from another start since Sept. 29 2005, when he pitched five innings for the Angels against the Athletics.

“He said, ‘OK, I’ll be ready,’” Collins said. “That’s how he is. He’s a special guy. He’s a unique human being. We came into …

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