Nats crush Mets 7-2; Lannan gives up one run in 7 innings
John Lannan tossed seven innings of one-hit ball and the bullpen did their job by holding the Mets to one run over the final two innings in the Nationals' 7-2 win. The victory snaps Washington's five game losing streak.
The only hit Lannan would allow on the night was a lead-off double to former National Brian Schneider. Schneider would come around to score on Jose Reyes' ground out, tying the game 1-1 in the third.
The 23-year old lefty kept the Mets off balance all night by mixing his pitches and using his changeup. He walked three and struck out seven while throwing 97 pitches, 59 for strikes. Lannan retired the last nine and 10 of the last 11 he faced.
Washington got on the board against Mets starter Pedro Martinez in the first. Willie Harris drew a lead-off walk and raced to third on Cristian Guzman's single. Ryan Zimmerman grounded into the 4-6-3 double play, scoring Harris for the 1-0 lead.
Tied at 1-1, the Nationals' got an RBI single from Aaron Boone to put Washington back on top. Lastings Milledge doubled and scored on Boone's bloop single to right. The Nationals' first baseman got greedy and tried to take second on the throw home, but it was cut-off and Boone was nailed at the bag.
Anderson Hernandez, mired in a 5-24 slump, delivered a big two-out, two-run single to give the Nationals' a 4-1 lead in the home half of the sixth. Zimmerman singled to lead-off the inning and one-out later, Elijah Dukes walked. After Boone hit a slow dribbler in front of the mound, advancing both men, Hernandez delivered the base knock.
With the game all but decided, Elijah Dukes put the exclamation point on the evening. Zimmerman got the two-out rally started by walking off Duaner Sanchez. Milledge singled and both runners moved up a base on Sanchez's wild pitch.
Dukes got the count full before Sanchez hung a slider. Dukes crushed the pitch over the wall in left for the 7-1 lead. It was his 12th of the year and it seemed to deflate New York, but theses are the Mets.
In the eighth, before loading the bases, New York got an RBI single from Reyes off Garrett Mock, to make it 7-2. Michael Hinckley replaced Mock and gave up a single to Ryan Church to put Mets on every base.
David Wright had a chance to cut into the Washington lead, but Hinckley got him to ground into the 6-4-3 inning ending double play.
Jesus Colome came in the ninth and gave up a two-out double to Fernando Tatis, but Luis Castillo lined out to left to end the game.
Postgame Notes
The Nationals have won nine of their last 10 at Nationals Park. The wins also snapped a 5-game losing streak.
John Lannan allowed one run in seven innings en route to collecting his career-high ninth victory of the season. He walked three and struck out seven. It was his third win in the last four decisions. Lannan has allowed two earned runs or less in 18 of 29 (62%) starts this season. He collected his 20th quality start of the season.
With a 3-run blast in the seventh, Elijah Dukes has collected 12 RBI in the last eight games. Nine of his 13 hits in September have been of the extra-base variety; five doubles and four homers. He is batting .302 (19-for-63) with seven doubles, six homers, 19 RBI and nine walks in 16 games since returning from the DL on August 27.
Ryan Zimmerman has hit safely in 18 of 19 games, batting at a .358 (29-for-81) clip with seven doubles, four homers, and 12 RBI.
With a 2-for-4 performance, Cristian Guzman is batting .444 (32-for-72) with five doubles, two triples, four homers and 17 RBI in 16 games beginning August 26. He recorded his career-high 171st hit with a single in the third inning. The multi-hit effort was his 52nd of the year.
Lastings Milledge has recorded back-to-back 3-hit outings for the first time in his career.
After the game, Milledge talked with Debbi Taylor.
Final Linescore
Mets 2-5-0
Nationals 7-10-0
WP-Lannan (9-13)
LP-Martinez (5-5)
HR-Dukes (12)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Nationals scoring 7th inning
Elijah Dukes crushed a 3-2 offering from Duaner Sanchez to put the Nationals up 7-1 after seven innings.
With two-outs, Ryan Zimmerman walked and Lastings Milledge singled. A wild pitch put them on second and third. Sanchez hung a 3-2 slider to Dukes and he knew it was gone as soon as it left the bat. It was his 12th of the season.
Nationals scoring, 6th inning
Anderson Hernandez's two-run single, in the sixth, gave the Nationals' a three-run cushion.
Hernandez drove in Ryan Zimmerman, who singled to start the inning and Elijah Dukes, who drew a one-out walk. Both runners advanced a base on Aaron Boone's topper in front of the mound. The RBI's give Hernandez 12 on the season.
Lannan thru six innings
Lannan had an easy sixth inning. He only needed nine pitches to get out of the frame. The only hit he's allowed was Brian Schneider's third inning double. John is doing a nice job keeping the Mets hitters off balance by mixing up his fastball with his off speed stuff.
6 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K. 88 pitches, 52 strikes
Nationals scoring, 4th inning
Aaron Boone's RBI single put the Nationals' back on top, 2-1 in the fourth. Boone blooped a base hit, just past second baseman Luis Castillo's outstretched arm, scoring Lastings Milledge, who doubled to lead-off the inning.
Boone was thrown out trying to take second base on the throw home. Carlos Beltran's throw was cut-off by Carlos Delgado. Delgado fired to Jose Reyes, who was waiting for Boone at the bag.
Lannan thru 3 innings
Lannan is pitching very well thru the first third of the game. He allowed a double to Brian Schneider to start the third and walked one. His pitch count is pretty good; at 47 pitches.
3 IP, H, R, BB, 3 K. 47 pitches, 29 strikes.
Mets scoring, 3rd inning
Jose Reyes' ground out scored Brian Schneider, who doubled, to lead-off the inning. Pedro Martinez's sac bunt got Schneider 90 feel away and he scored when Reyes grounded out to short.
Nationals scoring, 1st inning
Washington did to the Mets, what the Mets typically do to their opponent; score in the first.
Willie Harris walked to lead-off the home half of the first, off Pedro Martinez, and advanced to third on Cristain Guzman's single. Ryan Zimmerman grounded into the 4-6-3 double, scoring Harris and giving the Nationals' the 1-0 lead
Starting Line-Ups
Mets
SS Jose Reyes
RF Ryan Church
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Fernando Tatis
2B Luis Castillo
C Brian Schneider
P Pedro Martinez
Nationals
LF Willie Harris
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Elijah Dukes
1B Aaron Boone
2B Anderson Hernandez
C Wil Nieves
P John Lannan
Game Preview
New York (83-65) at Nationals (56-93)
The Nationals' begin their final homestand of the season tonight against the Mets and look to snap their five-game losing streak. They play the next 10 games at Nationals Park before finishing the season in Philadelphia.
Washington, who wrapped up their latest road trip with a 2-7 record, has dropped five straight to the Mets Yesterday, the bullpen blew a 6-1 lead in the eighth and wasted a great outing by Collin Balester and lost 8-7.
New York holds a one-game lead, two in the loss column, over the Phillies in the NL East with 14 games to play. Tonight they begin their final seven-game road trip of the year. The Mets are two games over .500, 38-36, on the road this season.
John Lannan faces Pedro Martinez and both are coming off bad starts.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP John Lannan (8-13, 3.88) is making his fourth start this season and fifth of his young career against the Mets and he's still looking for his first victory. He's 0-2 with a 6.53 ERA and New York is hitting .344 off him.
Lannan matched his shortest outing of the year last Tuesday at Shea Stadium. He was roughed up for five runs on eight hits in just three innings. Two of the hits were homers, but he got a no-decision in the Mets 10-8 slugfest victory.
Damion Easley hit a two-run double to put NY up 2-0 in the second. After the Nationals' tied the game in the top of the third, the Mets got a solo home run from former teammate Ryan Church and a two-run shot from Carlos Delgado, his first of two in the night, to chase Lannan.
Washington took a 7-5 lead with a five-run fourth and Lannan was off the hook. Leading 8-7 in the sixth, Carlos Delgado hit s two-run blast and Delgado hit a solo shot off Charlie Manning to hand the Nationals' the loss.
Lannan, 3-8 with a 5.65 ERA in 12 home games this season, is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA in DC against the Mets.
RHP Pedro Martinez (5-4, 5.44) is coming off one of if not the worst outings of the season on September 7th against the Phillies in New York. He gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings and suffered the 6-2 loss.
Martinez gave up an RBI sac fly and a run scoring single to Gregg Dobbs in the second and Dobbs hit a three-run homer in the Phillies four-run fourth to send the former Cy Young winner to the showers.
The veteran right-hander hasn't faced the Nationals since early in 2006. He beat Washington in back-to-back starts on April 6th and 12th. In the first outing at Shea, Martinez gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits and five walks in six innings but he was around long enough to earn the win in the Mets 10-5 win.
At RFK on the 12th, he tossed seven innings of one run ball and beat the Nationals 3-1. In his career vs. Washington, 15 games, seven starts, Martinez is 5-2 with a 2.40 ERA and one save.
In 10 road starts this season, he is 4-1 but has a 6.06 ERA and opponents are hitting .321 off him.
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