Mets Swat Nats, Finish Off Sweep

After suffering a heartbreaking 7-5 loss in the final game of the home stand to the Pirates, the Mets headed out to Washington, and righted the ship...for a series at least, by sweeping the Nationals. The first game was a nail biter, but Damion Easley used his head, and the Mets hung on for a 4-3 victory. No, Easley didn't make a smart play; he literally got hit in the head by a pitch to force in the game winning run, which was a victory that finally gave Johan Santana his 10th win of the season.

Last night, the bats exploded, as the Mets crushed the Nats 12-0 behind powerful offensive performances by Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. Murphy homered and drove in three to help John Maine win in his first start since coming off of the DL. Murphy went 3-for-6 and scored twice and is batting .467 (14-for-30) since being called up from Triple-A New Orleans on Aug. 2. His RBI single drove in the first run of an eight-run third that gave New York a 10-0 lead and let most of the team's embattled bullpen take a night off. He also singled in the 8th. Beltran drove in two runs when he doubled in the third, and Fernando Tatis hit a homer in the 2nd, and had an RBI single in the 3rd.

Of Murphy's hot start, Catcher Brian Schneider said, "He is getting it done, more than anything he is learning, learning the pitchers and learning what to do in the clubhouse. I know it has been a good experience for him. We can't expect him to do anything more."

Tonight was more of the same, as the Mets put up 9 runs in a 9-3 route to finish off the sweep before heading to Pittsburgh, looking for revenge in a 4 game set. Brian Schneider homered against his former team again and Carlos Delgado also went deep. Schneider, the former Nationals catcher, hit a two-run drive off of Collin Balester in the fifth to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. It was his first homer since May 14, also against Washington. Delgado connected for his 26th homer in the sixth, and also drove in a run with a ground out in the fourth. Damion Easley gave the Mets some insurance in the ninth with a pinch-hit, two-run single. The Mets also added two more runs in the 9th on a throwing error by Second Baseman Emilio Bonifacio.

The win gave the Mets a half-game lead in the NL East over Philadelphia, who is playing in Los Angeles tonight. On a injury note, Mets Closer Billy Wagner continued he rehab tonight by pitching for the Binghamton Mets. He is scheduled to pitch for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Saturday, and make his return to the big club on August 18.