Rookie starters being tested on Sunday night (Nationals lose 5-1)

NEW YORK - The Nationals and Mets already were looking at a late night with an 8:08 p.m. start on Sunday Night Baseball and then travel to Washington and Cincinnati, respectively, for Labor Day matinee games.

The way both lineups have made Reynaldo Lopez and Seth Lugo work early, they're going to be even sleepier than initially feared when they get to the park Monday.

Lopez and Lugo have been put to the test in this nationally televised matchup of dueling rookies.

Lopez needed 25 pitches a piece to get through his first and second frames, even though he only faced nine total batters. The young right-hander got himself into a jam in the bottom of the first via a walk, a single and two wild pitches.

Lopez did battle back and held the Mets to only one run (via Curtis Granderson's sacrifice fly). He also escaped a jam in the bottom of the second thanks in part to Trea Turner's first career outfield assist.

There was no defensive assist in the bottom of the third, though. Lopez allowed a two-out bloop single to Yoenis Cespedes, then served up a two-run homer to Granderson on a 95-mph fastball. Lopez finished that frame with 72 total pitches, prompting the Nats bullpen to get to work.

The Nationals had Lugo on the ropes in the top of the first, loading the bases with two outs, but couldn't get a run home after Wilson Ramos tapped a weak grounder in front of the plate.

Danny Espinosa finally broke through in the second inning, launching a 2-2 pitch into the second deck down the right field line for his 21st homer of the season.

Lugo, though, has settled down since, completing a 1-2-3 third inning to leave the Mets holding a 3-1 lead.

Update: With five innings in the books, the Nationals still trail 3-1. Lopez settled down to pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, but he departed with his pitch count at 85. Mat Latos entered in the fifth to make his Nats debut and impressively retired the side, with a fastball that twice hit 96 mph. (His average fastball velocity earlier this year with the White Sox was 90.7 mph.) The problem: Lugo also has settled down and has retired 11 batters in a row.

Update II: Latos impressed in his first inning of relief. His second? Not so much. Jay Bruce launched a two-run, opposite-field homer, one of three hits in the bottom of the sixth. The Nationals now trail 5-1 and have only nine more outs with which to attempt to rally.

Update III: That'll do it. Nats lose this game, 5-1, and lose the series. They went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position for the second straight night. They still lead the NL East by 8 1/2 games with 26 to play, with the magic number holding steady at 18.