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| Tue, Nov. 24 - - Mobile - RSS | |
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BASEBALL METS 8, NATIONALS 4 METS PREVENT SWEEP
Nationals wrap up series with Mets
Date published: 9/20/2007 By RICH CAMPBELL BY RICH CAMPBELL WASHINGTON--The Washington Nationals arrived at RFK Stadium yesterday with a chance to send the New York Mets to the brink of catastrophe. The Nationals came from behind to take the first two games of the series, and another win would have had the Mets pounding on the panic button. New York's lead in the NL East had already shrunk from seven games to 1 in a week. Imagine the chaos in New York's clubhouse if fourth-place Washington swept the series. But the Mets weren't going to boot the ball around and blow leads forever. They restored order to the baseball universe and stopped their freefall by pounding out an 8-4 victory over Washington in front of 20,558. Still, the Nationals were happy to take two out of three from their division rivals and cause them some problems. "That's what you want to do, win series," manager Manny Acta said. "We feel good at home with the way the kids have played. We battled them." New York ended its five-game losing streak and did not lose ground in the division standings for the first time since Sept. 12. Washington, meanwhile, remained three games ahead of Florida for fourth place. The Nationals were undone by the same sloppy play that plagued the Mets in the first two games of the series. First baseman Robert Fick committed a costly throwing error during New York's three-run seventh inning, and Felipe Lopez was picked off first base in the third after a lead-off single. The Mets managed to leave town with some momentum after blowing large first-inning leads on Monday and Tuesday. They even finished the series with a comeback of their own after overcoming a 2-1 second-inning deficit. Nationals starter Matt Chico (5-9) contributed to that lead with an RBI single in the second, but he couldn't hold it. Chico has recently struggled to finish his pitches, which causes the ball to cut when it isn't supposed to, manager Manny Acta said before the game. "I made some mistakes, and they capitalized on them," Chico said. Chico retired the Mets in order in the first and fourth innings, but he struggled otherwise. In 5 innings, he gave up five runs on seven hits, including a bizarre double by Jose Reyes in the third.
Date published: 9/20/2007
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