R.A. Dickey appeared to be on his way to his 19th win tonight. The Mets even ended their multi-run inning streak in the fifth to give Dickey a 2-1 lead. However, in the top of the seventh, pinch-hitter Tyler Moore came to the plate and drove Dickey’s knuckleball out of the park for a two-run homer. The Nats led 3-2 and went on to win 5-3.
The Nats got on the board early tonight. Jayson Werth hit a single to lead off the top of the first and was doubled over to third by the talented phenom Bryce Harper. Ryan Zimmerman’s sac fly gave Washington the opening tally.
The Mets tried to strike back in the bottom of the first. Ruben Tejada singled and Daniel Murphy walked to set the table, but Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann struck out the side around an Ike Davis walk to send the Mets back to the dugout empty handed.
That setback was short lived, though. Dickey recovered and pitched out of jams in the second and third innings. In the fifth, Tejada reached on another single and scored on Daniel Murphy’s RBI double. Wright followed with a single for his 81st RBI of the season and the Mets led 2-1.
After Moore’s home run framed Dickey with the loss, Frank Francisco let a pair of runs through in the ninth to give give Washington the cushion they would need to survive Scott Hairston’s ninth inning solo shot.
While warming up for the game, the Mets wore hats adorned with the logos of New York’s first responders to the 9/11 attacks.
Turning point: Everything was going according to plan until Tyler Moore’s lead-changing blast in the seventh. The turning point is rarely more obvious than that.
Game Ball: Ruben Tejada hit three singles and scored runs after two of them. It’s a shame he was stranded in the first, when the Mets managed to load the bases with one out.
Next Game: The Mets play the finale of their three-game series with Washington tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. Matt Harvey will be making his second to last start of the season, while Stephen Strasburg’s replacement John Lannan pitches for the Nats.
