Washington righty Tim Redding starts the night with a strike to New York's leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, but the next four pitches are balls to walk the one player you never should on the Mets. Redding throws away a pickoff attempt, and the speedy Reyes is able to take third on the error. Redding can't put away Luis Castillo, wasting nine pitches going to a full count with the slap-happy lefty who finally flies out to center to score Reyes easily from third. 1-0 Mets. The barrel of David Wright's sawed off bat soars over the mound as his single drops into center. Carlos Beltran lines an 0-2 pitch to right and off the Washington Wall of Sports Fame or whatever they call it. 3-0 New York after a half.
D'Angelo "Red Hot" Jimenez continues to stroke it with a single through second with one out in the bottom of the first. Mets emergency starter Brian Lawrence, who's filling in for the injured El Duque, gets Ryan Zimmerman swinging and pops Wily Mo Pena up to end the first.
Paul LoDuca doubles to the corner in left on a hanging curve. Redding gets some help from LoDuca's poor baserunning as the catcher tries taking third on a grounder to short from Lastings Milledge. Milledge takes second on the rundown. Redding pops up Brian Lawrence and gets Jose Reyes to fly to center. 3-0 middle of two. Austin Kearns, Ronnie Belliard and Robert Fick go down in order for Lawrence's second scoreless.
Redding gets Carlos Beltran swinging over a curve to retire the Mets in order in the third. Brian Lawrence gets the Nationalls eight, nine and leadoff hitters for three scoreless with a 3-0 lead. Shawn Green goes to center with a long fly ball that Nook Logan can't reach even though he climbs up the wall, fastball over the middle from Redding, 4-0 Mets lead.
Ryan Zimmerman strokes a one-out single through the right side of the infield in the fourth. Wily Mo Pena follows with a single to left. Austin Kearns walks to load'em up for Ronnie Belliard. Belliard grounds deep in the hole at short, Austin Kearns beats Jose Reyes' throw to second. Zimmerman scores. 4-1 Mets. Robert Fick lines a single to right. Pena scores. 4-2 Mets. Brian Schneider rips a double into the right field corner. Kearns scores, Belliard scores. 4-4 ballgame. Aaron Sele comes on for Lawrence. Fick gets picked off third on a pitch in the dirt that LoDuca keeps in front of him, and Ryan Langerhans grounds out to end the rally. 4-4 after four.
Big John Albaladejo comes on in relief for the Nationals in the fifth and retires the Mets in order. Nook Logan rips a grounder under David Wright at thid, and the ball dribbles into left allowing Logan to take second. Aaron Sele takes Jimenez's line drive off the glove and makes the play, holding Logan in place. Logan moves to third on Zimmerman's ground out. Wily Mo MO MO MO MO!!! RBI line drive to left. 5-4 Nationals. Austin Kearns rips one down the third base line for a double. Pena stops at third. Belliard walks. Sele out. Scott Schoeneweis. The Professional Pinch Hitter Tony Batista is up with the bases loaded and Batista goes down swinging.
Moises Alou lines up the middle off Albaladejo with one out in the sixth. Albaladejo walks Shawn Green in front of LoDuca, bringing out Manny Acta, Nationals Manager, who goes to the pen for Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera. LoDuca lines the first pitch to Zimmerman at third, Zimmerman takes out Alou at second, double play to end the top of the sixth.
Schoeneweis gives up a single to Schneider to start the Nationals sixth. Felipe Lopez reaches on an error by David Wright, who lets a double play ball get under his glove. Nook Logan lays down a perfect bunt, Schoeneweis bobbles the ball and throws a slider well wide of first and into foul territory in right, two runs score on the error. 7-4 Nationals. Jorge Sosa's on in relief for the Mets, and he gives up a one-out walk to Ryan Zimmerman. Wily Mo Pena grounds back to Sosa, who turns to second thinking double play, and then remembers the runner at third, Nook Logan who beats the late throw home. 8-4 Nationals lead. Austin Kearns draws a walk to load the bases. Ronnie Belliard beats out the back end of a DP grounder allowing Zimmerman to score for a five-run lead at 9-4 Nationals after six.
Luis Ayala will pitch the top of the seventh for the Nationals. Lastings Milledge reaches on an infield single. Pinch hitter Ruben Gotay goes down looking at a slider on the outside edge. Jose Reyes grounds out to second. Luis Castillo lines a single to short left. David Wright up with two on, two out, grounds back to the pitcher. Stand up and stretch...
Felipe Lopez hits a one-out double to left in the seventh. Nook Logan will face recently recalled reliever "Generic" Joe Smith. Logan drops a blooper in right, Lopez scores from second. 10-4 Nationals. Logan steals second, and the throw sails into center, Logan takes third. Pinch hitter Ryan Ch-Ch-Ch-Church goes deeeep to left for a two-run home run and a 12-4 DC lead after seven.
Nationals lefty Arnie Munoz pops up both Carlos Beltan and Moises Alou for the first two outs of the eigth. Shawn Green singles to right. Munoz walks Ramon Castro. Lastings Milledge stares at strike there to end the top of the eigth. Austin Kearns lines one off Joe Smith's ankle and right to Reyes at short where he boots it. Kearns safe. Smith retires the rest of the Nationals in the eigth.
Jesus "Everyday" Colome comes on to end it. Marlon Anderson chases strike three. Jose Reyes lines out to center. Luis Castillo grounds out to the pitcher. Nationals win. 12-4 final. (Philly leads 12-3 in the 7th at St. Louis). Big John Albaladejo gets his first Major League win. Albaladejo.
Nationals now 67-83.