AA: Richmond lost to Binghamton 5-1
(allowing three insurance runs in the 8th inning and falling behind 2-0 in the best-of-five championship series)

Richmond: LF Devin Harris: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 SO
Richmond: PH Myles Schroder: 1 for 1, 2B

Richmond: SP Adalberto Mejia: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K--1 HR
Richmond: RP Edwin Quirarte: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K--1 HR, 1 IBB
Binghamton: SP Greg Peavey: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

No one reached base twice for the Flying Squirrels.  Among their six hits, Harris and Schroder each doubled.

Mejia delivered a quality start, allowing just a two-run HR in the 2nd inning.  Quirarte allowed a three-run HR in the 8th inning.  The star of the game, was Peavy, whom the Mets drafted in the sixth round four years ago out of Oregon State.  He had a 2.90 ERA in 18 EL starts this year.

Four games with the division-leading Nats should help decide the validity of the Mets' playoffs dreams.

What's going on with the Nationals?

Washington clearly is in the driver's seat of not just the National League East, but of the entire senior circuit. With a league-best run differential of +105 and one fewer loss than the NL West's Dodgers, it's tough to paint the Nationals as anything other than favorites to go to the World Series.

Still, it's not as though Matt Williams' team has been a picture of excellence lately. Washington did a lot of work in August, rolling off 10 straight wins and taking control of the division race. Since then, the Nats have cooled off with a 5-4 record in September. Just yesterday they had a chance to sweep the Braves into oblivion, but Stephen Strasburg somehow was bested by Aaron Harang and his 4.07 second-half ERA.

So now the Nationals march on to Queens, where they have hopes of spanking the Mets again and putting some space between themselves and the Dodgers for the right to home field advantage in the NL playoffs. Sure, our boys are riding high with a 7-2 mark this month and out-of-nowhere Wild Card aspirations, but look at the teams the Mets have faced: Miami, Cincinnati, and Colorado aren't exactly a murderer's row of opponents, especially when Colorado is playing on the road. Nevertheless, if New York's pitching stays sharp, the club has a chance to keep the good times rolling against one of the best teams in baseball.

Who are these guys?

The lineup that the Nationals roll out against the Mets this weekend will be very similar to the one we've seen all season long. The team's consistent and deep offense is one of the reasons that it has been so successful this year. When it comes to Adam LaRoche, however, you might as well substitute the name of Barry Bonds. The left-handed slugger has been that good against the Mets this season. In 41 plate appearances, LaRoche has 10 walks and 11 hits, nine of which have gone for extra bases. That all adds up to a .355/.512/.903 line that is far better than what LaRoche is doing to any other club in 2014.

Who's on the mound?

Thursday: Tanner Roark vs. Bartolo Colon

Pitching a full major league season for the first time has not fazed Roark, who at 27 years old is a bit more polished than your average rookie starter. With command being his specialty, Roark has been very consistent this season; with only 38 walks and 15 home runs allowed, he doesn't get too high or too low. Back in July, he somewhat remarkably hurled four straight games with seven innings pitched and just one run allowed in each. When Roark last faced the Mets in May, New York was able to run up his pitch count quickly and force him out after five innings.

Like an older version of Roark who throws more fastballs and is more prone to the longball, Colon has also found great success this season. Although there have been some rough patches, none of those came against Washington. Colon has allowed just seven runs in 21 innings versus the Nats in 2014.

Friday: Gio Gonzalez vs. Dillon Gee

After Gonzalez dominated the Mets through six innings during his first start of the season, New York fared much better against him later in the year. On May 17, the Mets shelled Gonazlez for five runs in three innings (the lefty's shortest stint of the season), and in August they scored four more runs off of him in six frames. Although it once seemed as though Gonzalez could become one of the top pitchers in the National League, his 3.78 ERA and nine-percent walk rate aren't very ace-like this season.

2014 has been a down year for Gee overall. He should be peaking at age 28, and yet he's struggled to strike out opponents as consistently as he used to. Still, Gee has looked decent lately with three straight quality starts. His outings against Washington have not been so decent, as Gee has allowed eight runs in 12.2 innings. LaRoche, who might be the new Ryan Howard, has homered off of Gee in both of those games.

Saturday: Doug Fister vs. Zack Wheeler

Fister spent the first month of the season on the disabled list, which resulted in the Mets not seeing him until August. When he finally did face our boys, Fister proved himself to be something worth fearing. In two straight outings against the Mets, Fister dominated with a total of 10 strikeouts, zero walks, and just on unearned run in 14.1 frames. His pitch-to-contact approach is one that this patient Mets team does not seem well equipped to deal with.

We're near the end of Wheeler's second season of the big leagues, and it's still tough to figure if he's going to be a really good pitcher or just a mid-rotation guy. About one strikeout per inning: good. 72 walks: bad. Stuff: good. Pitch count: bad. This is far from a lost season from Wheeler. We know what he's good at and what he needs work on. If he can improve his command over the winter, Wheeler has the chance to be something really special. As of now, Mets fans will have to deal with him being third in the 2015 pecking order behind Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.

Sunday: Jordan Zimmermann vs. Jon Niese

Zimmermann is the type of consistent, boring player that no one likes to talk about. He's also the best pitcher on Washington's staff. While all the sexy pitchers are from California, Zimmermann is from Wisconsin. All the other guys try to strike batters out, Zimmermann just focuses on throwing strikes. He's not unlike Fister in this regard, but Zimmermann's stuff is powerful enough to having his strikeout rate ticking well above 20 percent. Now that's hot.

Like Gee, Niese has generally been lousy in the second half of 2014, but he recently pitched one of his best games in a while. Against the Rockies on Monday, Niese allowed just one run in 6.2 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. You have to go back to June 12 to find another Niese start of at least five innings with that few runs allowed. That same date was also the last time Niese had so many strikeouts. While we're hoping for a repeat performance from the lefty, it doesn't seem likely.

Prediction: The feisty Mets earn a split to stay on the edge of the playoff race.

What about some highlights?

Even lucky plays like this one couldn't stop the Nationals from winning a remarkable 11 straight games at Citi Field.

Asdrubal Cabrera channeled his inner Derek Jeter and let his momentum carry him into the seats on this play. What an iconic moment!

Leave it to the Mets to almost lose Michael Taylor's first career home run ball.

Don't forget to check out FanDuel.com for fun, one-day fantasy leagues!

The Washington Nationals went into the series finale on Wednesday without the left side of the everyday infield, but both Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon are back in the lineup tonight for the series opener with the Mets in New York.

Both Washington Nationals' shortstop Ian Desmond, with lower back tightness, and third baseman Anthony Rendon, who was sick, sat out of Wednesday's series finale with the Atlanta Braves, but Nats' skipper Matt Williams said it was possible that both would be back in the lineup for the series opener with the New York Mets tonight in Citi Field.

"I think so," Williams told reporters after yesterday's loss. "We'll have to look at Anthony. He really didn't feel well today, so we'll see how he is certainly after the train ride and when he gets to the ballpark tomorrow.

"Today, he was pretty bad. He slept most of the game. They gave him some medicine and he drank a lot of fluids, so we'll see how he is tomorrow. I think Desi will be fine though."

Apparently both Desmond and Rendon are feeling better, because both are in the lineup that was released by the Nationals this afternoon:

#Nats lineup vs. #Mets: Span CF, Rendon 3B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Harper LF, Ramos C, Cabrera 2B, Roark P pic.twitter.com/a6H04BsNcY

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 11, 2014

Nationals' right-hander Tanner Roark takes on the Mets for the third time this season tonight.

In his first two starts against the Nats' NL East rivals from New York this season, Roark is (2-0) with a 3.27 ERA, five walks (4.09 BB/9) and nine Ks (7.36 K/9) in 11 IP over which he's held Mets' hitters to a combined .250/.326/.375 line.

His first start this season took place in Citi Field, where he gave up six hits, three walks and two earned runs in six innings of work in an 8-2 Nats' win.

On the mound for New York is veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon, who is (1-2) vs Washington after three starts this season in which he's posted a 2.57 ERA with two walks (0.86 BB/9) and 17 Ks (7.29 K/9) in 21 IP over which Nationals' hitters have put up a .253/.265/.443 line.

Game time tonight is 7:10 PM from Citi Field.

• Editor's Note:SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting daily $18,000 Fantasy Baseball leagues. It costs $2 to join and the first-place prize is $2,000. Click here for details.

The Washington Nationals jumped out to an early lead on a two-run blast by Adam LaRoche in the first and cruised to a 6-2 win over the New York Mets in the series opener in Citi Field. The Nats improved to 7-0 in the Mets' home this season.

Shea Stadium is a parking lot Top 5:

5. Quick Recap: Washington Nationals' third baseman Anthony Rendon singled with one down in the top of the first inning tonight, taking an 0-1 fastball from New York Mets' right-hander Bartolo Colon to left. One out later, Nats' first baseman Adam LaRoche worked the count full and crushed a 3-2 heater, sending a two-run blast out to right that bounced off the netting on the fair side of the foul pole way up top. 2-0 Nationals on LaRoche's 24th.

WATCH: Is anyone hotter at the plate than @e3LaRoche right now? His two-run homer gave the #Nats an early lead: http://t.co/cUvtudCC8B

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 11, 2014

Adam LaRoche was 2 for 2 tonight and 11 for 28 two at bats into his ninth game this month after he lined an RBI single to the left of center to drive Jayson Werth in after the Nats' right fielder's one-out double. 3-0 Nats.

The Nationals loaded the bases with one down in the third and scored a run on a liner back to the mound by Wilson Ramos that Bartolo Colon couldn't catch. 4-0 Nationals after 2 ½ in NY.

Denard Span bunted his way on to start the Nationals' fourth and Anthony Rendon got hold of an 0-1 fastball from Colon in the next at bat, sending a line drive home run to left that just cleared the wall above the Wheat Thins sign.

BOOM! Anthony Rendon! His 19th HR of the year rockets out to left field and the #Nats grab a 6-0 lead here in the fourth!

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 12, 2014

6-0 Nats on Rendon's 19th.

The Mets scored their first run on a leadoff blast to left that cleared the Party City.com deck. Backup catcher Anthony Recker, who took over behind the plate for Travis d'Arnaud, crushed an 0-1 fastball from Tanner Roark. 7th HR of the season for Recker, 6-1 Nationals.

They don't call him Recker for nothing. Watch @Anthony_Recker give this ball a ride: http://t.co/hiXZGatQFf#Mets#LGM

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 12, 2014

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and scored their second run on an RBI single to right center by Dilson Herrera, 6-2.

Emotional pregame. #Remember911#NeverForgetpic.twitter.com/MPTXTEWkru

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 11, 2014

4. Row-ark vs New Yo-ark: In ten second-half starts before tonight's, 27-year-old Washington Nationals' right-hander Tanner Roark went (4-4) with a 2.89 ERA, a 3.72 FIP and a .232/.274/.357 line against 65 ⅓ IP.

Last time out on the mound, the second-year major league starter suffered this third straight second-half "L", giving up six hits, a walk and three earned runs in six innings of a 3-1 loss the Philadelphia Phillies in the nation's capital.

The runs Philadelphia scored on Roark came on a bases-loaded single by Ryan Howard, who drove A.J. Burnett and Jimmy Rollins in on a 1-0 curve, and a solo home run by Phillies' outfielder Domonic Brown, who sent a 3-0 fastball out to right field in Roark's final inning of work.

"He was okay," Nats' skipper Matt Williams said after the outing.

"It all started with a base hit to the pitcher and then Howard, he threw Howard a curveball that [Howard] hit into right field. And then the 3-0 homer. But other than that he was pretty good."

"The curveball, I thought was a good curveball to Howard," Roark told reporters. "Was just out over the plate a little bit, kind of have to get it a little more inside. [The 3-0 pitch], if he's going to hack 3-0, I mean, go ahead. The outcome was unfortunate, but it happens."

Overall, however, Roark said he, "felt good."

"Felt like I was commanding both sides of the plate and throwing everything at them, everything was sharp."

Tonight, Roark took the mound in Flushing, Queens, NY's Citi Field, where his 2014 campaign began back on April 3rd with a six-inning outing against the Mets in which he gave up six hits, three walks and two earned runs in an 8-2 win.

In his second start of the season against the Nationals' NL East rivals from New York, Roark held the Mets to four hits, two walk and two earned runs in six innings on the mound in Nationals Park.

Back in Citi Field tonight, Roark's 29th start of the season began with a weak groundout to first.

1st: Eric Young, Jr. grounded weakly to first base to start the Mets' half of the first inning. Juan Lagares sent a fly to right for out no.2. Daniel Murphy's fly to left ended a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3 frame for Roark.

2nd: Lucas Duda doubled to right-center to start the Mets' second, just out of Jayson Werth's reach. Travis d'Arnaud lined a single to right in the next at bat, sending Duda to third. Curtis Granderson stepped in with runners on the corners and no one out and popped to foul territory off third on an 0-2 pitch. Dilson Herrera popped to second for out no.2... and three when Travis d'Arnaud forgot how many outs there were and got himself doubled up. 15-pitch frame for Roark, 24 total after two.

3rd: Wilmer Flores sent a fly ball to center for the first out of the bottom of the third. Bartolo Colon popped to first. Eric Young, Jr.'s grounder to second ended a quick, 10-pitch, 1-2-3 third that left Roark at 34 pitches.

4th: Juan Lagares sent a fly to Denard Span in center. Daniel Murphy grounded out to short. Lucas Duda's fly to right ended a seven-pitch frame that left Roark at 41 pitches after four.

5th: Anthony Recker took an 0-1 fastball to deep left field for a solo home run in the Mets' fifth, 6-1. Curtis Granderson popped to second for the first out of the frame. Dilson Herrera K'd swinging at a 2-2 curve outside. Wilmer Flores stepped in with two out and grounded out to third to end a 15-pitch frame. 56 total for Roark after five.

6th: Pinch hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis sent a fly to left-center for the first out of the sixth. Eric Young, Jr. singled to right with one down, but he was thrown out at third trying to take two bases on a pick attempt gone wrong. Juan Lagares grounded out to second to end a 12-pitch frame by Roark, who was up to 68 pitches.

7th: Daniel Murphy lined out to third to start the Mets' seventh. Lucas Duda lined a one-out single to right-center field. Anthony Recker lined a single to left to put two on with one out. Curtis Granderson walked on four pitches to load the bases in front of Dilson Herrera, who singled to right-center to make it a 6-2 game. That was it for Roark.

The line on Tanner Roark tonight: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K -- 87 pitches, 60 strikes. pic.twitter.com/hwEdcodfoJ

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 12, 2014

• Tanner Roark's Line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 87 P, 60 S, 5/6 GO/FO.

3. Big Bart: Bartolo Colon, 41, faced the Washington Nationals three times in his 16th major league season before tonight, going (1-2) with a 2.57 ERA, two walks (0.86 BB/9) and 17 Ks (7.29 K/9) in 21 IP, over which he held Nats' hitters to a combined .253/.265/.443 line.

His last start against Washington took place on August 13th in Citi Field, where the right-hander held the Nationals to six hits, a walk and two runs, one earned in a 3-2 loss that left him (11-10) on the year.

In nine second-half starts before tonight's, the veteran starter was (5-3) with the Mets 6-3 when he's taken the mound since the All-Star Break. In his last 58 IP, he's put up a 3.88 ERA, a 3.00 FIP and a .265/.281/.377 line against.

At home this season before tonight, Colon, who signed a 2-year/$20M deal with the Mets this past winter, was (5-7) in 12 starts with a 3.50 ERA, a 2.90 FIP and a .258/.276/.385 line against in 82 ⅓ IP.

Anthony Rendon singled with one down in the first inning of Colon's 13th start of the year in Flushing, Queens, NY, and one out later, Nats' first baseman Adam LaRoche worked the count full and bounced a two-run home run off the top of the right field foul pole for 2-0 lead. LaRoche's 24th. 23-pitch first.

Asdrubal Cabrera took a one-out walk in the Nationals' second, but he was stranded two outs later at the end of a 16-pitch frame that left Colon at 39 pitch total after two.

Jayson Werth ripped into a 3-1 fastball, doubling to left with one down in the top of the third and scored on an RBI single to left-center by Adam LaRoche. 3-0 Nats. Ian Desmond grounded into what should have been a DP, but the Mets botched it, leaving runners on first and second for Bryce Harper, who lined a single to left to load the bases with one down. Wilson Ramos lined back to the mound and off Colon's glove, leaving the Mets with only an out at first. 4-0 Nationals. 34-pitch frame, 73 total after three.

Another hit, another RBI for @e3LaRoche. #Nats lead 3-0 as he drives in Jayson Werth with a single to center! Because, of course.

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 11, 2014

Denard Span bunted his way on to start the fourth and scored when Anthony Rendon took an 0-1 fastball to left and out for a two-run home run and a 6-0 lead. Colon hit Werth with the next pitch and wast ejected...

• Bartolo Colon's Line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks, 2 HR, 77 P, 48 S, 3/2 GO/FO.

2. Nats vs Mets: The Washington Nationals entered the four-game set in the New York Mets' home 10-2 against their NL East divisional rivals this season with seven games remaining on the schedule and 6-0 in Citi Field this year, where they've won 25 of the last 29 games between the two teams.

The team wore hats to honor the 9/11 1st responders including FDNY, NYPD, PAPD, Courts, OEM, Corrections & DSNY. pic.twitter.com/xdHXnsCOYv

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 11, 2014

The Nationals' last loss on the road in NY (NL) took place on June 29, 2013 when Mets' right-handed starter Dillon Gee outdueled Taylor Jordan in a 5-1 win.

Since then, the Nats are 11-0 in Citi Field heading into the final series of the year in the ballpark which opened in 2009.

The Nationals' win tonight left them with wins in 26 of the last 30, 12 straight overall and seven-straight this season in Citi Field.

1. The Wrap-Up: Daisuke Matsuzaka took over on the mound in the top of the fourth and issued back-to-back two-out walks to load the bases before a groundout from Wilson Ramos ended the frame.

Matsuzaka walked Tanner Roark with one out in the fifth and Anthony Rendon singled to right with two down, but Jayson Werth grounded out to end the top of the inning.

Matsuzaka was up to 44 pitches and three scoreless innings pitched after an 11-pitch top of the sixth.

Mets' right-hander Erik Goeddel retired the Nationals in order in a 12-pitch seventh.

Craig Stammen took over for Tanner Roark with the bases loaded and one out in the Mets' seventh. Wilmer Flores grounded into an inning-ending DP. 6-2 Nationals after seven.

Goedell retired the first two batters in the Nats' eighth, but was replaced on the mound by Dario Alvarez with two down. Alvarez popped Adam LaRoche up to end the top of the inning.

Pinch hitter Bobby Abreu and Eric Young, Jr. hit back-to-back singles to start the Mets' eighth. Juan Lagares popped out to short for the first out of the frame. Matt Thornton came on to faced Daniel Murphy and hit him on the wrist, loading the bases for Lucas Duda. Matt den Dekker came on to run when Murphy left the game. Duda lined out to short and a leaping Ian Desmond. Tyler Clippard came on to face Anthony Recker, who K'd swinging to end the Mets' eight. Still 6-2 Nationals.

Mets' right-hander Gonzalez Germen retired the Nationals in order in the ninth.

Ross Detwiler came on to end it and retired the Mets in order.

Nationals now 83-62

The Mets fell behind early and never came back.

The Mets were beaten pretty handily by the Nationals at Citi Field this evening. Bartolo Colon was not at his best, as he gave up six runs in three-plus innings and was ejecte when he hit Jayson Werth after giving up a home run to Ian Desmond in the fourth after having hit Desmond with a pitch after an Adam LaRoche home run in the first inning.

From there, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw three scoreless innings, and Erik Goeddel, Dario Alvarez, and Gonzalez Germen kept Washington from scoring again.

The Mets got on the board with a solo home run from Anthony Recker in the fifth. They scored once more on a bases loaded Dilson Herrera single in the seventh, but Wilmer Flores proceeded to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Mets loaded the bases again in the eighth but failed to score then, too.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by amazins8669; his effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

The Mets gave up six runs early, scored just twice, and blew a couple of bases-loaded opportunities in a loss to the Nationals on Thursday night.

The Mets began a four-game series with the Nationals with an unspectacular loss. Bartolo Colon wasn’t good and got ejected for twice hitting a batter after giving up a home run, and the Mets scored just twice and mostly wasted a couple of bases-loaded opportunities in the process.

Colon gave up a one-out single in the first inning, and one out later, Adam LaRoche—who has a knack for hitting against the Mets, it seems—took him deep off the netting of the right field foul pole. Colon hit Ian Desmond with a pitch after that, a seemingly insignificant mistake at the time, and got out of the inning without any further damage.

With the Mets struggling against Washington starter Tanner Roark, Colon got into more trouble in the third. Jayson Werth hit a one-out double, and LaRoche then singled to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead. Colon then got a comebacker from Ian Desmond, but when Colon threw the ball to second for what could have been an inning-ending double play, neither Wilmer Flores nor Dilson Herrera was covering the bag. Both runners were safe, and after Bryce Harper singled to load the bases, another comebacker went awry, as Colon couldn’t quite field it for another potential inning-ending double play. The Mets got just one out on the play, allowing the Nationals to score their fourth run of the game.

That was it for Washington’s scoring in the third, but after a Denard Span bunt single to begin the top of the fourth, Colon gave up a two-run home run to Anthony Rendon. Down 6-0, he followed that up by hitting Jayson Werth with a pitch and was promptly ejected from the game by the home plate umpire. Terry Collins got tossed, too, after making a case for his pitcher.

The Mets finally scored a run in the bottom of the fifth when Anthony Recker, who had entered the game for Travis d’Arnaud, hit a solo home run to begin the inning. After the game, Terry Collins told the press that d’Arnaud’s been dealing with a wrist injury and was taken out mid-game to get some rest.

In the seventh inning, the Mets loaded the bases and scored a run on a Dilson Herrera single, but Wilmer Flores grounded into an inning-ending double play. They went on to load the bases again in the eighth, but they failed to score any runs in that inning, too. So even though Daisuke Matsuzaka, Erik Goeddel, Dario Alvarez, and Gonzalez Germen kept the Nationals off the board from the fourth through ninth innings, the Mets were unable to come back.

And to top things off, Daniel Murphy was hit on the forearm with a pitch late in the game and left early, though x-rays after the game came up negative.

SB Nation GameThreads

* Amazin' Avenue GameThread
* Federal Baseball GameThread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Travis d’Arnaud, +8.4% WPA
Big losers: Bartolo Colon, -34.9% WPA, Wilmer Flores, -13.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Travis d’Arnaud’s single in the second to put runners on the corners with nobody out, +8.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Adam LaRoche’s two-run home run in the first, -21.2% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -32.0% WPA
Total batter WPA: -18.0% WPA
GWRBI!: Adam LaRoche’s third-inning single

The Washington Nationals hit two home runs out of Citi Field on Thursday night. Each blast was followed by a hit-by-pitch from New York Mets' starter Bartolo Colon. After the second one, on Jayson Werth, Colon was ejected from the series opener.

Washington Nationals' first baseman Adam LaRoche's first inning home run, which bounced off the top of the netting on the foul pole in right field in Citi Field, was the 34-year-old middle-of-the-order bat's 24th of the season.

It was followed by a hit-by-pitch on Nats' shortstop Ian Desmond, who took his base.

It was the fourth hit by pitch from the 41-year-old Colon this season in 180 ⅓ IP to that point.

The Nationals took a 2-0 lead on LaRoche's home run, and an RBI single by the veteran infielder in the third made it 3-0.

A bases-loaded line drive by Wilson Ramos bounced off Colon's glove later in the third, driving the Nationals' fourth run in and making it 4-0.

In the top of the fourth, Nats' leadoff man Denard Span bunted his way on and Anthony Rendon homered to left in the next at bat.

Colon's fifth hit batter of the season was Jayson Werth, who took an 89 mph first-pitch fastball in the shoulder on the very next pitch from the Mets' starter.

Werth directed some words toward the mound, but tossed his bat aside and took his base as home plate umpire John Tumpane ejected Colon.

Mets' skipper Terry Collins came out to argue on his pitcher's behalf and got himself tossed as well. Colon walked by Werth on his way off the field, but the Nats' right fielder didn't bother to look his way.

After the Nationals' 6-2 win in Citi Field, Nationals' manager Matt Williams was asked if he though the pitches were intentional.

"Well, I don't have a clue," Williams said. "I know that Bartolo has got fantastic control. And he hit [Desmond] early in the game, skimmed him with a pitch and then lost one and hit Jayson. So I don't have an opinion one way or the other, all I know is that he has exceptional control. So, we deal with it and move on."

"I didn't talk to Bart about it," Mets' skipper Terry Collins said, "but we'll just leave it at that."

Collins said he was arguing just for the sake of protecting his player, but knew he would lose the argument.

Werth, when asked for his thoughts on the HBP, told the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore the following:

Jayson Werth on the Nats' response to Bartolo Colon hitting him: "We don't have time for bulls---."

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) September 12, 2014

• We talked about the HBPs, the Nationals' 12-game winning streak in Citi Field, Tanner Roark's outing and more on the latest edition of Nats Nightly:

Your Friday morning dose of New York Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

Adam LaRoche continued to torment the Mets, Bartolo Colon got ejected along with Terry Collins, and the Amazins fell to Washington 6-2.

Recap Parade: Amazin' Avenue short, long, MLB.com, ESPN NY, New York Times, Post, Daily News, Newsday, Star-Ledger

After an Anthony Rendon home run in the fourth inning, Bartolo Colon hit the next batter, Jayson Werth, with a fastball. He was promptly ejected by home plate umpire John Tumpane. The Nationals don't seem to think the plunking was an accident.

Daniel Murphy swelled up after being hit on the wrist with a pitch during the game, but X-rays were negative. Travis d'Arnaud also left the game early, but he expects to play tonight.

The Mets weren't allowed to wear caps honoring first-responders during the actual game on September 11, but at least they could wear them during batting practice.

Larry Brooks of the Post writes that competing in the Wild Card hunt is making it tougher for Collins to protect the Mets' young pitchers.

Matt Harvey is very optimistic about his chances against the Nationals on Opening Day 2015.

Around the NL East

Marlins superstar Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the face by a Mike Fiers fastball last night. The slugger suffered multiple fractures, a laceration, and dental damage. It's likely his 2014 season is over.

After the game, Fiers offered a heartfelt apology on Twitter. Miami lost the game to Milwaukee 4-2. Get well soon, Giancarlo.

Elsewhere in the division, the Phillies were thumped by the Pirates, 4-1.

Ruben Amaro expects Cliff Lee to be ready for spring training next year.

Around the Majors

Craig Calcaterra is urging Bud Selig and Rob Manfred to take action against Jeff Wilpon in response to his alleged harassment of Leigh Castergine.

Major League Baseball announced its postseason schedule, which begins on September 30 with the American League Wild Card Game.

The Yankees trailed the Rays 4-0 entering the eighth innings, but they ended the night with a dramatic victory thanks to the heroics of one Chris Young.

Gabe Kapler says that ego resiliency could be at the center of a revolution in baseball management.

Steve Goldman reconsiders a Roger Hornsby story in light of the Ray Rice incident.

How much longer will the loyal Twins front office continue to employ manager Ron Gardenhire?

Yesterday at AA

Steve Schreiber introduced us to the LOLMets Index!

Nathan Gismot reminded us that being a fan is complicated sometimes.

On this date in 1964, the AFL's New York Jets played in Shea Stadium for the first time.

Who and where are the people that blame Brian Roberts and Ichiro the most for the Yankees' disappointing 2014 season? Also: how?

One thing that's absolutely clear about the New York Yankees mostly disappointing and entirely predictable 2014 season is that some one player must be blamed for it. Not a collection of players or a rash of injuries in the pitching rotation or the general Expendables-poster vibe of the roster. That is a cop-out, an excuse, a frankly (sorry for the language) Mets-fan move.

No, there must be a scapegoat. Singular. One single scapegoat, on which goat can be draped ritual poop-garlands of shame. This goat will then be driven off into the Bronx, thus exorcising the pain of an expensive, aging roster performing exactly as an expensive, aging roster might be expected to perform.

The Trenton Times understands this, which is why they commissioned a scientific poll of their readers to determine which player will be this season's dedicated scapesyank. It went about as well as you'd expect such a poll -- which would necessarily be limited to the sort of Yankees fan inclined to blame a season of comprehensive and predictable organizational failure on one particular position player, and which, to reiterate, is extremely silly on its face -- to go.

!!! @OGTedBerg RT @republikyle From the Trenton Times this morning. @AmazinAvenuepic.twitter.com/SBCzl3rrWN

— Jesse Grauman (@jessegrauman) September 11, 2014

Ah, yes, indeed.

There are aspects of this (totally silly! sorry to keep harping on that but wow!) poll that are surprising, most notably the fact that the second name on the list is the second name on the list. It could be argued that Derek Jeter's combination of extremely diminished capacities and extremely persistent presence atop the lineup should have earned him the top spot -- Howard Megdal made that very argument in this space, and well. It could also be argued that Shut Up About Derek Jeter Your (sic) Just Jealous The Guy Dated Minka Kelly And Your (sic) In Some Bloggy-Ass Basement, which was the argument commenters made below Howard's piece, and heatedly.

It is probably tougher to argue that Carlos Beltran -- who has been hobbled and more uhelpful than helpful as a 37-year-old, for the first time in his brilliant career -- is the single reason why such a strangely constructed team has played so much like a strangely constructed team of old dudes. But #BlameBeltran is a virus unique to New York, and while symptoms of it have mostly been noted in Mets fans it's not impossible that something (fluoridation of the water supply?) makes New Yorkers uniquely susceptible to it. This is best left to the scientists, probably.

But the really fascinating thing about this poll, beyond a doubt, is the small faction of Yankees fans that look at a roster that seems to have been constructed solely by signing people that played in the 2007 All-Star Game and instantly identified Brian Roberts and Ichiro as the prime culprits in the team's struggles.

Ichiro, who is a 40-year-old part-time outfielder -- and a damn national treasure, if that matters -- with 334 plate appearances on the season. Brian Roberts, who appeared in 91 games before being released -- not that many, but more than he's seen in a season since 2009 -- and barely hit at all, but who nonetheless grades out per Baseball Reference's WAR calculations as just about the most valuable contributor in the Yankees infield.

These, these are your culprits. The two guys who have combined for roughly as many plate appearances this season as Mummy Alfonso Soriano and Yangervis Solarte. There is an old statement about stupid questions and stupid answers that seems like it would fit, here, but I'm too angry at Ichiro to think of it right now.

This week in 1999: The Mets traveled to Turner Field with their eyes on first and left it feeling last.

The Mets played a brief three-game set against the Phillies beginning on September 17 and won two of these matchups even though their attentions were firmly fixed elsewhere. (Save for Rey Ordoñez, who belted a grand slam on September 18 for his annual home run.) All summer and well into the fall, the Mets had played out of their minds against all opponents except one: The Braves, who they hadn't seen since early July. Now, the two teams would face off six times in the next week, beginning with a huge series in Atlanta.

While the Mets wrapped up their last west coast trip and disposed of the Phillies, the Braves suddenly stumbled and lost five of eight. Thus, New York would travel to Turner Field one slim game out of first place, a division title almost in their grasp. Wanting to leave nothing to chance, Bobby Valentine backed down from the six-man rotation he'd been employing and demoted rookie Octavio Dotel to the bullpen. Mindful of Dotel's shaky major league debut in Atlanta, Valentine chose to rely on the veteran arms of Rick Reed, Orel Hershiser, and Al Leiter for this crucial series.

Reed had pitched poorly since returning from the disabled list but shrugged that off in the series opener on September 21, scattering six hits over six innings of work while fanning six batters. He did, however, allow a solo shot to Chipper Jones that gave the Braves an early lead. His teammates scratched out their own run against John Smoltz in the third, but could otherwise do nothing against the Atlanta pitcher. At least the Braves said this was John Smoltz. The pitcher had drastically altered his delivery to pitch through elbow pain (the alternative was a trip to Dr. James Andrews) and looked nothing like the Smoltz they saw back in July.

With the score still tied in the bottom of the eighth, Valentine chose to bring in lefty Dennis Cook to face Chipper, who was reputed to be weaker when batting right handed. The manager was unaware that Chipper had been tearing the cover off the ball from both sides of the plate all season. The third baseman clubbed a Cook fastball into the left field seats, putting the Braves up, 2-1. John Rocker preserved that score by striking out the side on 11 pitches. It was the first managerial misstep from Valentine in the series, and it would not be the last.

The next game bore an eerie resemblance to the first. Orel Hershiser proved tough against every Braves hitter not named Chipper, who reached him for a two-run blast in the first inning. His opposite number, Tom Glavine, was equally tough but allowed his own two-run homer to Mike Piazza. Hershiser held serve until the bottom of the seventh, when a pair of singles and a sac fly gave Atlanta the lead. When the Mets attempted their own rally with two singles against Glavine to start the top of the eighth, it set in motion a series of changes that made the proceedings look less like a baseball game and more like a litany of Biblical genealogy.

Bobby Cox replaced a tiring Glavine with reliever Mike Remlinger. Bobby Valentine countered with rookie Melvin Mora, who bunted the runners into scoring position. When Shawon Dunston was sent to pinch hit. Cox responded by bringing in a righty, Russ Springer, whereupon Valentine subbed Dunston with Matt Franco. The Braves intentionally walked Franco (who was then replaced by pinch runner Jay Payton) before calling on Terry Mulholland to take the mound. Valentine tried to neutralize the lefty by pinch hitting with Bobby Bonilla, but the maligned outfielder struck out. The final replacement, Todd Pratt, grounded out to second.

This half inning required 10 substitutions and 40 minutes to complete. The end result: Zero runs scored.

Further drama was prevented once Octavio Dotel took the mound for his first relief appearance—another strange choice by Valentine, who appeared deathly afraid of letting Dotel start a game in Atlanta, yet had no qualms about bringing him out of the bullpen for the first time in his major league career. Dotel walked the first two batters he faced and John Franco allowed both to score. John Rocker shut the door again in the ninth, capping a 5-2 defeat.

The series finale began with promise for the Mets, then quickly deflated. The visitors took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single from Ordoñez in the top of the second, but failed to score any more runs against Greg Maddux in the inning despite having the bases loaded with no outs. They were thwarted further in the fifth when Rickey Henderson inexplicably tried to score on an Edgardo Alfonzo double and was thrown out at the plate by a mile.

In the bottom half, everything fell apart. It began when Al Leiter nearly picked off a runner at first, only to see the ball get stuck in John Olerud's glove. One bloop single later, Chipper strode to the plate. With two men on base and only one out, Leiter was wary of walking anyone, even Chipper. He tried to sneak a slider past him, but Chipper—again batting from his supposedly weaker right side—blasted it for a three-run homer.

The carnage of this inning continued when Andruw Jones managed to score from second on a foul out, thanks to a throwing error from Olerud and the Mets' failure to back up the play at third. A Piazza solo shot in the top of the sixth gave the Mets a sliver of hope. Turk Wendell gave it right back in the bottom of the seventh by throwing away a comebacker, thus converting an inning-ending double play into another run-scoring error.

The Mets teased a comeback against Rocker in the ninth by working two walks, and Rocker even threw them a bone by uncorking a wild pitch, but that was as close as they got. The 6-3 loss pushed New York four games out of first place with nine left to play. The Braves made a show of packing champagne for their upcoming road trip to Montreal, since their sweep of the Mets had all but guaranteed they'd have cause to pop it in a few days' time.

The Mets stumbled out of town in a daze, wondering if anyone had gotten the license of the truck that just hit them. Some suspected chicanery, grumbling that the Braves must have been stealing signs for Chipper to abuse their pitchers so badly. (Such charges ignored the fact that Chipper had been abusing every pitcher of late.) A beleaguered Valentine seemed to give credence to this conspiracy theory by calling Chipper's abilities against the Mets "uncanny," a word choice he immediately regretted.

If the division title seemed out of reach, the Mets comforted themselves with the fact that the wild card berth was still theirs for the taking, and that their next stop would be Philadelphia. Surely, the injured, demoralized Phillies wouldn't put up much of a fight, would they?

Though the door is shut but not yet locked, for all intents and purposes, the Mets will miss the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. This poses a dilemma for manager Terry Collins, who is trying to win now while keeping the future in mind.

A strong start to September for the Mets—they're 7-3 so far this month—has at least temporarily quelled the pitchforks aimed at skipper Terry Collins, who is fighting to keep his job while trying to protect the club's future at the same time.

Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal talks to Collins and delves into just how tough it is to balance the present with the future.

As the Mets' manager, it is his job to win every day, no matter what the numbers say. Until it becomes impossible for the Mets to advance, Collins's instincts tell him to keep fighting, keep pushing. He is passionate and intense and emotional. The idea of admitting defeat even a day before he has to pains him to his core.

Whether you are for Collins returning or not, his current predicament is one any manager dreads. The Mets entered Thursday night's game with the Nationals with a 0.1 percent chance of making the playoffs. An ugly 6-2 defeat—Washington's 12th straight victory at Citi Field—locked another bolt on New York's door to whatever postseason fantasies they may have.

For Collins, the difficulty will continue, at least until his club has been officially eliminated from the playoff race. Balancing his burning desire to win against protecting his young players for 2015 and beyond is what he now faces, a future he may not even be a part of.

"You know, it's hard. It's hard, because we're trying to win games here. We're basically in the hunt still, even though it may be a long shot. We're still in there, that's all you care about, and that's what makes coming to the park fun. But we've made a commitment here to the organization and to these kids that they're going to leave here healthy. And you can't go back on that."

After beginning his managerial career with five straight winning seasons—three with the Astros and two with the Angels—Collins is enduring his fifth consecutive sub-.500 campaign, leaving him out of the playoff picture for a 10th time in as many years as a major league skipper.

For now, Collins is being forced to reconcile his duties to win for the betterment of the Mets. There's just no guarantee the club will reward him for doing so.

Las Vegas skipper Wally Backman will be joining the Mets coaching staff next Friday.

Wally Backman will be joining the Mets coaching staff for the remainder of the season beginning Friday, September 19.

The recently crowned PCL Manager of the Year piloted the Las Vegas 51s to an 81-63 record and divisional championship this season. The 51s were eliminated in the playoffs three games to one by the Reno Aces.

Backman has become a polarizing figure in Mets land during recent years because of the team's perceived need of a kick in the rear. Backman's gritty attitude and winning experience with the 1986 Mets is supposedly just what the Amazins need to reach their full potential.

Although Backman is still not the Mets' manager, he's been moving up in the ranks steadily and maybe someday he will earn a coveted major league position. For now, he continues to be a valuable member of the organization.

In his five seasons managing within the Mets organization, Backman has posted an overall record of 345-302.

Washington Nationals' lefty Gio Gonzalez tries to win his third straight start. The Nats try to win their eighth straight game in Citi Field this season and their 13th straight overall in the New York Mets' home.

With his 2 for 5 games against the Mets last night in New York's Citi Field, which featured a big 391 ft. first-inning home run, 34-year-old Washington Nationals' first baseman Adam LaRoche improved to 11 for 31 (.355/.417/.839) with five home runs in nine games so far in September.

So what is LaRoche doing right now that's leading to his recent run of success at the plate?

"I just think when he sees the ball," Williams said. "It's indicative tonight of when he is seeing the ball, he hits not the homer, but the single. And he hits it the other way. It just means he's staying back and he's waiting for the baseball. And that side of the field is pretty open for him most of the time, so when he can take advantage of that then he's very effective."

LaRoche homered in the first and drove in a run with a single to center in the third as the Nationals jumped out to a 6-0 lead in what ended up a 6-2 win.

The Nats took their 26th of the last 30 games in the Mets' home, their seventh straight in NY this season and their 12th overall in Citi Field going back to last season.

So does the winnning streak they're on in their NL East rival's park give them confidence going into tonight's game?

"Tomorrow is another game," Williams said last night. "So we just play. Don't worry about the past or streaks or anything like that, we've got a tough one tomorrow, so that's all we think about."

Gio Gonzalez takes the mound for the Nationals tonight against Mets' right-hander Dillon Gee in the second game of the four-game long-weekend set.

• Here's the Nats' lineup for tonight's game:

#Nats lineup @ #Mets: Span CF, Cabrera 2B, Rendon 3B, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Harper LF, Ramos C, Schierholtz RF, Gonzalez P

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 12, 2014

Gonzalez tries to make it three straight wins after beating the Dodgers and Phillies in his last two outings.

No Jayson Werth tonight, with Nate Schierholtz starting in right.

Game Time: 7:10 PM from New York.

New York right-hander Dillon Gee was on the mound the last time the Mets beat the Washington Nationals at home in Citi Field on June 29, 2013, and it was Gee again earning the win tonight snap a 12-game losing streak vs the Nats in NY. 4-3 final.

Remember when Adam Dunn hit one out to Shea Bridge? Top 5:

5. Quick Recap:Eric Young, Jr. singled to center on the first pitch of the game from Washington Nationals' lefty Gio Gonzalez, and the New York Mets loaded the bases with one down in front of catcher Travis d'Arnaud on a HBP on Juan Lagares and a walk by Lucas Duda.

The Mets' 25-year-old catcher, who has been on a tear in September, going 14 for 33 (.424/.472/.636) so far with four doubles and a home run in nine games, worked the count full and hit his fifth double of the month to left field, driving in two runs with the third scoring on what was ruled an error when Lucas Duda slid into Nats' catcher Wilson Ramos' mitt and knocked the ball loose after a perfect relay from Bryce Harper to Ian Desmond and on to home. 3-0 New York after one.

Watch @TdArnaud start the scoring for the #Mets with this bases-clearing double! http://t.co/lSuL97HRg4#LGM

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 12, 2014

Anthony Rendon doubled for the 37th time this season on the first pitch from Mets' starter Dillon Gee in the third and scored his major league-leading 107th run when Adam LaRoche singled to center in the next at bat. Two outs later, LaRoche scored on an RBI grounder by Wilson Ramos, whose single cut New York's lead to one run. 3-2.

WATCH: In a shocking development*, @e3LaRoche got the #Nats on the board with this single in the 3rd: *not shocking http://t.co/bexfd2hyiP

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

WATCH: The Buffalo brought the #Nats within a run as Wilson Ramos' single to CF scored Adam LaRoche. #HornsUP: http://t.co/8faYfnYt0s

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

Anthony Rendon was 3 for 3 tonight with a single, double and home run after he got hold of a hanging 2-2 slider from Dillon Gee and sent it out to left, off the top of the fence in front of the Party City.com deck for HR no.20 of 2014 and a tie game in NY. 3-3.

WATCH: That's 20! Congrats to Anthony Rendon on the first 20-homer season of his career: http://t.co/BS8txBQeklpic.twitter.com/TqL6U8DAIa

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

The Mets took the lead right back, however, with Eric Young, Jr. reaching on an infield single in the bottom of the fifth and scoring on an RBI double to left by Juan Lagares. 4-3.

Watch @juanlagares2 score @EYJr from first on this RBI double. http://t.co/G3GBJh6osh#LGM

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 13, 2014

That's how it ended... 4-3 Mets final.

4. Gonzalez in New York: After going winless in nine outings (0-5) with Washington 3-6 in his starts between July 10th and August 26th, 28-year-old Nationals' lefty Gio Gonzalez has won each of his last two turns in the rotation, helping the Nats to wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.

So far in the second half of the 2014 campaign, which is Gonzalez's third in the nation's capital, the left-hander has gone (2-4) in 10 starts over which the Nationals are 5-5, posting a 4.12 ERA, 3.23 FIP and a .250/.319/.365 line against in 54 ⅔ IP.

In his two wins this month, the southpaw has held opposing hitters to a .182/.217/.279 line against in 12 IP.

Two of the three runs Gonzalez allowed in the Nats' 6-2 win over the Dodgers in L.A. came on a first-inning home run by Matt Kemp, who hit a 1-1 fastball out to right in Chavez Ravine for a two-run blast after a solo home run by Jayson Werth in the top of the first game the Nats an early lead.

Gonzalez threw five scoreless innings after the home run by Kemp before the third run he was charged with scored in the seventh when he gave up a leadoff single by Kemp, who came around after Drew Storen took over on the mound.

"Gio was good," Nationals' manager Matt Williams said after that outing.

"The first inning home run to Kemp was the only one. Gave up a couple of hits in his last inning, but pitch count was down, he was doing fine, and he gave up the two hits in his last inning we had to go get him."

Gonzalez's six-inning outing against the Phillies last week in D.C. was unique in that it was the first outing of the season in which he didn't allow a single walk, giving up five hits and two runs, one earned in a 3-2 win.

"They didn't do much with his curveball or his changeup, which is key for him," Williams said after Gonzalez's second straight win last Sunday. "If he can land both of those early, then his fastball looks better, more explosive out of his hand and he's able to pitch off the zone with it up and away and get guys to swing at it. He was really good."

Tonight in New York, Gonzalez was taking on the Mets for the fourth time this season after going (1-2) in the previous three outings against the Nats' NL East rivals, with a 6.00 ERA, five walks (3.00 BB/9) and 16 Ks (9.60 K/9) in 15 IP in which NY's hitters have put up a .271/.323/.424 line against him.

His one win against the Mets came in his first start of the season, which took place in Citi Field, where he gave up three hits, a walk and one earned run in six innings back on April 2nd.

Gonzalez's second 2014 start in New York began with a single to center...

1st: Eric Young, Jr. took a first-pitch fastball to center for a leadoff single. Juan Lagares took an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder, putting two runners on with no one out. Eric Campbell was first-pitch swinging too, but sent a fly to Denard Span in center. Gonzalez got up 0-2 on Lucas Duda, but ended up walking the Mets' first baseman in an eight-pitch at bat. Travis d'Arnaud stepped in with the bases loaded and one out and cleared the bases with a double to left field on a full-count fastball with Duda knocking the ball out of Wilson Ramos' mitt as he slid in for the third run. 3-0 Mets on d'Arnaud's 20th double of the season. Curtis Granderson sent a fly to right for out no.2. Dilson Herrera K'd looking to end a 25-pitch frame.

Tonight’s action can be found on @SNYtv, @MLBTV, @WOR710 and in Spanish @DeportesNY1050. Pregame starts at 6:30p. pic.twitter.com/vQtpBWN5Tn

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 12, 2014

2nd: Ruben Tejada sent a fly to center for the first out of the Mets' second. Dillon Gee K'd swinging at an 0-2 curve for out no.2. Eric Young, Jr. missed a 2-2 change and K'd swinging to end a 12-pitch, 1-2-3 second that left Gonzalez at 37 pitches.

3rd: Juan Lagares sent a fly ball to center to start the Mets' third. A 1-2 change got Eric Campbell swinging for out no.2. Lucas Duda lined to left for a two-out single that fell in for a hit in front of Bryce Harper. Harper caught Travis d'Arnaud's broken bat fly to left though. Three outs. 16-pitch frame, 53 total.

4th: Curtis Granderson popped up to short left where Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper and Denard Span let it fall in for a "double" when Desmond peeled off thinking the outfielders had it. Dilson Herrera K'd looking at a 1-2 change low in the zone. Ruben Tejada grounded out to third for out no.2. Dillon Gee's groundout to second ended an 11-pitch frame. 64 pitches overall.

5th: Eric Young, Jr. singled to start the fifth, reaching on a grounder that got by both Gonzalez on the mound and Asdrubal Cabrera and Young scored on an RBI double to left by Juan Lagares. 4-3. Eric Campbell sent a fly to center that Denard Span tracked down. Juan Lagares grounded out to first for out no.2. Travis d'Arnaud K'd swinging to end a 24-pitch frame that left Gonzalez at 88 overall after five.

6th: Curtis Granderson and Dilson Herrera hit groundouts to second for the first two outs of the Mets' sixth and Ruben Tejada went down swinging to end a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3 frame that left Gonzalez at 97 pitches.

7th:Josh Satin grounded back to the mound for the first out of the Mets' seventh. Eric Young, Jr. popped out to short left. Eight-straight set down... that was it for Gio.

The line on @GioGonzalez47 tonight: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3ER), 1 BB, 7 K -- 110 pitches, 76 strikes. pic.twitter.com/PUfc2ijCP9

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

• Gio Gonzalez's Line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 Ks, 110 P, 76 S, 6/5 GO/FO.

3. Golly Gee: In ten second-half starts before tonight's outing against the Nationals, 28-year-old Mets' right-hander Dillon Gee was (2-6) with New York 3-7. The '07 21st Round pick out of Cleburn, Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington, put up a 4.90 ERA, a 5.11 FIP and a .241/.317/.454 line against in 60 ⅔ after the All-Star Break.

Gee was facing Washington for the third time in 19 2014 starts this evening in New York, where was (4-3) this season with a 3.63 ERA, a 4.76 FIP and a .223/.304/.375 line against in 11 starts and 72 IP before taking the mound in the second game of the four-game set in Citi Field..

In his five major league campaign after debuting against the Nationals on September 7, 2010, Gee was (7-4) in 14 starts against Washington with a 3.41 ERA, 28 walks (2.81 BB/9) and 64 Ks (6.42 K/9) in 89 ⅔ IP over which Nats' hitters have put up a .234/.301/.426 line against him.

This season, however, after he'd fared well against the Nationals early in his career, Gee was (0-1) in two starts with a 5.68 ERA in 12 ⅔ IP, in spite of holding Nats' hitters to a .182/.280/.409 line.

Have you ever got a trivia Q wrong then the guy who's name was the correct answer comes over to correct you? He does! pic.twitter.com/gBkqOuXQkc

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 13, 2014

The Mets' right-hander's third start of the year against Washington began with a scoreless frame in which he worked around a two-out single by Anthony Rendon a walk to Adam LaRoche in a 23-pitch inning.

After the Mets took a 3-0 lead in the home-half of the first, the Nationals loaded the bases with two down in the top of the second, but Dilson Herrera helped Gee out of trouble with a leaping grab on a soft liner off Asdrubal Cabrera's bat. 14-pitch frame, 37 total after two.

Anthony Rendon doubled to start the Nats' third, taking a first-pitch fastball to left, and scored on an RBI single to left field by Adam LaRoche. 3-1. Ian Desmond singled to right for the third straight hit, sending a 3-1 fastball to right, but Bryce Harper grounded into a 4-6-3 DP in the next AB. Wilson Ramos stepped in with two out and LaRoche on third and singled to center to make it 3-2 NY. Nate Schierholtz K'd swinging to end a 20-pitch frame by Gee, who was up to 57 pitches.

Asdrubal Cabrera K'd swinging to end a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth by Gee that left the right-hander at 70 pitches.

Anthony Rendon took a hanging-a$$ 2-2 slider from Gee to left and off the top of the wall in front of the Party City.com deck for a solo blast that had to be reviewed before it was ruled HR no.20 of 2014. 3 for 3 tonight for Rendon after the blast, with a single, double and home run.

Adam LaRoche walked in the next AB, but was forced out at second on a grounder off Ian Desmond's bat. Desmond stole second, but two outs later he was stranded on the basepaths. 25-pitch frame for Gee, 95 total after five.

Nate Schierholtz reached on an infield single, but Gio Gonzalez failed to get a bunt down. Denard Span's one-out single ended Gee's night.

• Dillon Gee's Line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 108 P, 71 S, 8/2 GO/FO.

2. Lucky no.13?: The Nationals entered the second game of four in New York with an 11-2 record against the Mets this season, wins in 26 of the last 30 games, and a 12-game win-streak going in Citi Field, where they were 7-0 this season and unbeaten since June 29, 2013 when Dillon Gee outdueled Nats' right-hander Taylor Jordan in a 5-1 Mets' win.

Could Gee lead the Mets to their first win over the Nationals at home in Citi Field this season?

• It wasn't really Gee leadng the way, but the Mets finally won one at home.

#Nats Manager Matt Williams said Ryan Zimmerman threw, hit & ran on the field today. Possible he'll go to instructional lg. Sunday or Monday

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 12, 2014

• 1. The Wrap-Up:Carlos Torres took over on the mound for Gee in the top of the sixth with two on an Asdrubal Carbera at the plate and got an inning-ending 4-6-3 out of the Nats' second baseman.

Torres issued a walk to Adam LaRoche with one down in the top of the seventh, but another 4-6-3 DP ended the Nats' half of the frame.

Aaron Barrett took over for Gio Gonzalez with two down in the seventh and gave up a two-out single to right by Juan Lagares. Lagares stole second to put himself in scoring position, but Eric Campbell K'd looking to end the frame.

#ReleaseTheBear! @aaronbarrett30 gets out of the inning. #Nats will send Harper, Ramos & Schierholtz to the plate in the 8th, down 4-3

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

Jeurys Familia struck Bryce Harper for the first out of the eighth, then struck Wilson Ramos out too. Nate Schierholtz singled with two down, but Kevin Frandsen grounded into a force at second.

Jerry Blevins threw a scoreless 13-pitch eighth to keep it close, striking out the side.

Jenrry Mejia came on looking for the save, and gave up a leadoff single to center by Denard Span. Asdrubal Cabrera flew out to the warning track in left-center. Anthony Rendon stepped in with one on and one out. Span stole second on a 2-0 fastball, but Rendon K'd swinging at a 3-2 slider outside. Adam LaRoche came up with two down and the Mets walked him after Mejia started 3-0. Ian Desmond was next up... and he went down swinging to end it.

4-3 Mets.

Nationals now 83-63

Dillon Gee was iffy but the bullpen was strong in a 4-3 Mets win. Our heroes finally beat the Nationals at Citi Field, breaking a 12-game losing streak.

The Mets finally beat the Nationals at Citi Field, breaking a 12-game home losing streak dating back to last season. Woohoo!

Dillon Gee threw 5.1 shaky innings, allowing three runs on 12 baserunners, including a solo home run by Anthony Rendon. At least two Nationals reached base in five of the six innings he started. He was fortunate to allow just three runs. Luckily, the Mets' bullpen pitched much better, as Carlos Torres, Jeurys Familia, and Jenrry Mejia combined to throw 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out five in the process. Torres induced a double play off the bat of Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth inning to preserve a 4-3 Mets lead. Mejia notched his 26th save in 29 opportunities.

The Mets' biggest blow came in the first inning, when three runs scored on a bases loaded double by Travis d'Arnaud against Nats starter Gio Gonzalez. TdA was credited with two RBI, and the third run scored on an error by Nats catcher Wilson Ramos. Lucas Duda was a dead duck on a play at the plate, but he managed to jar the ball loose of Ramos's grasp while sliding into home. The Nats tied the game 3-3 by the fifth inning, but Juan Lagares broke the deadlock with an RBI double in the bottom half of the fifth to give the Mets a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

Before tonight, the Mets hadn't beat the Nationals at Citi Field in over a year. We have Travis d'Arnaud, Juan Lagares, and the bullpen to thank for ending the 11-game losing streak.

Marlon Byrd and John Buck were in the starting lineup the last time the Mets beat the Nationals at Citi Field. It was June 29, 2013, and like tonight's game, Dillon Gee was the Mets' starting pitcher. Gee didn't pitch as well tonight as he did last June, but the Mets' bullpen was strong enough that it didn't matter. The Mets' frustrating 11-game losing streak against the Nationals at Citi Field is finally over; praise be to Carlos Torres, Jeurys Familia, and Jenrry Mejia.

The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a bases loaded double by Travis d'Arnaud. He was credited with two RBI, and a third run scored on the play when Lucas Duda knocked the ball out of Nats catcher Wilson Ramos's glove on a play at the plate. The throw had beat Duda by a mile, so Ramos was charged with an error.

Dillon Gee was shaky from the get-go and turned in an uninspiring start, despite getting credit for the "win." He was rather fortunate to allow just three runs in 5.1 innings, for the Nationals managed nine hits, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch against him. In just one of the six innings he started did Gee send the Nats down one-two-three. RBI singles by Adam LaRoche and Wilson Ramos in the third inning cut the Mets' lead to 3-2, and Anthony Rendon tied the game in the fifth with a solo home run that barely cleared the fence in left field.

The game did not remain tied for long, as Juan Lagares doubled home Eric Young Jr. in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. The way the Nats were reaching base, this didn't seem like a safe lead. Sure enough, Gee took the mound in the sixth inning and gave up two singles while recording one out. He departed for Carlos Torres. Three pitches later, the threat was put down, as Torres induced a ground-ball double play off the bat of Asdrubal Cabrera. Inning over. Torres then worked a scoreless seventh inning, once again getting a double play to end the frame, this time off the bat of Ian Desmond.

Jeurys Familia pitched an impressive, scoreless eighth inning, striking out two while throwing some serious heat. He should be considered for the closer role in 2015. Current closer Jenrry Mejia came on for the ninth inning, and despite allowing a leadoff single and, three batters later, an intentional walk, he got the job done. He struck out Desmond and Rendon for the last two outs of the game.

Some additional bullet thoughts:

• Pending trades, injuries, etc., it might be tough for Dillon Gee to crack the 2015 rotation. He now has a 3.80 ERA and 4.65 FIP; neither mark is very good in 2014 Major League Baseball. What's more, his swinging-strike rate is a meager 7.0%, the lowest of his career. I'm not sure what the organization should do with him, but I'd rather see Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese, Noah Syndergaard, and possibly Rafael Montero in the 2015 rotation over him.
• The umpire crew seemed to blow a Mets challenge in the fifth inning. Ian Desmond hit a potential double-play grounder to Dilson Herrera with one out and Adam LaRoche on first base. Herrera threw to Ruben Tejada to get LaRoche at second base, but Tejada's relay to Lucas Duda at first base wasn't in time and Desmond was called safe. However, replays seemed to show that Desmond was out.
  
  
  
  The picture is fuzzy, but Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and I all thought Desmond was out. Terry Collins astutely challenged the call but it was upheld. The replay system has generally worked well this season but some plays have slipped through the cracks. Life goes on.
• Juan Lagares made an uncharacteristic error in the second inning. Bryce Harper singled to center field and Lagares bobbled the ball, allowing Harper to advance to second base. Much like when he doesn't catch a fly ball hit within 100 yards of him, an error is legitimately shocking. That play might cost him a small fraction of the dozens of DRS and UZR runs he has racked up.

The Mets are now 72-76, 12 games behind the Nationals in the NL East and 6.5 games back of the Pirates in the Wild Card race. Our heroes are still several wins away from actually playing meaningful games in September, but at least they're not yet mathematically eliminated.

Game three of Mets-Nats is Saturday night at 7:10 pm EST. The pitching matchup is Zack Wheeler vs Doug Fister.

Three Stars of the Game

First Star: Carlos Torres
Second Star: Travis d'Arnaud
Third Star: Juan Lagares

SB Nation GameThreads

* Amazin' Avenue GameThread
* Federal Baseball GameThread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Juan Lagares +23.6%, Carlos Torres +23.1%
Big losers: Dillon Gee -17.9% (as pitcher), Eric Campbell -9.8%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Travis d'Arnaud three-run double in the first inning, +19.5%
Teh sux0rest play: Anthony Rendon solo home run in the fifth inning, +16.3%
Total pitcher WPA: +29.7%
Total batter WPA: +20.3
GWRBI!: Juan Lagares RBI double in the fifth inning

AA: Richmond lost to Binghamton 2-1
(being swept in the best-of-five championship series)

Richmond: 2B Blake Miller: 1 for 2, 2 BB
Richmond: PH-C Eliezer Zambrano: 1 for 1

Richmond: SP Ty Blach: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Richmond: RP Steven Okert: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K
Binghamton: SP Steven Matz: 7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K

Miller had hit just 1 for 19 in the playoffs entering tonight, but today he was the lone Flying Squirrel to reach base twice.  He had one of the Squirrels' four hit and both of their walks.  Zambrano had a pinch-hit single in the 8th inning.

Blach finished the season strong, allowing just 4 ER over his last five starts.  He was matched by Matz, whom the Mets drafted in the second round five years ago but who did not make his pro debut until two years ago.  So far Matz has a 2.32 ERA in 51 pro starts (regular season only).  Okert enjoyed a fine season with just a 2.11 ER in 68.1 IP, but tonight he retired just one of four batters in the bottom of the 9th inning.

MLB news from the past week.

Giancarlo Stanton hit in the face; benches clear in Milwaukee

Thursday's game in Milwaukee featured a scary sight. Giancarlo Stanton took a fastball in the face under the left eye in the fifth inning from Mike Fiers. Stanton required stitches for his facial lacerations, but may not require surgery. Losing Stanton hurts the Marlins' already slim playoff chances; he's played in every game and was putting up an MVP-caliber year. Fiers stayed in the game and pinch-hitter Reed Johnson (since Stanton was ruled to have swung at the pitch that hit him) was hit on the hand, and he too was ruled to have swung. The situation degenerated into a benches-clearing fracas with Casey McGehee and Mike Redmond losing their cool with the umpires and getting ejected (video here). In the sixth inning, Anthony DeSclafani plunked Carlos Gomez and was immediately ejected and subsequently fined and suspended; he plans to appeal. Initially, one might say it was retaliation, but Buster Olney and others on Twitter say the pitcher's actions suggest otherwise.

Watch Desclafani in last night's game: http://t.co/pBiVfRbory Nothing he or teammates did suggests the HBP of Gomez was intentional.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) September 12, 2014

Fish Stripes posted numerous reactions to the incident.

If that wasn't bad enough, Chase Headley also got hit in the face against the Rays.

Jeff Wilpon faces lawsuit from former Mets employee

The suit alleges that COO Wilpon fired the team's head of marketing for being pregnant outside of marriage. Leigh Castergine, the plaintiff, says Wilpon was "morally opposed" to her being a single mother; she was terminated after reporting Wilpon's behavior to HR. The WSJ elaborates further.

Link to lawsuit here.

Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas closer to MLB eligibility

Tomas is 6'4", 240 pounds and has all the power in the world, as the video in the link will show, but is prone to big swings and misses. He is known as a high-risk, high-reward player and has been unblocked by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. A showcase is expected late next week.

Dodgers throw the ball all over the place

When was the last time you saw something like this, especially from the Dodgers? Naturally, Yasiel Puig is the center of it all.

Chris Davis suspended for amphetamine use

Davis tested positive for Adderall, the stimulant that got teammate Troy Patton suspended. Adderall is used to treat symptoms of ADD, but Davis didn't have a Therapeutic Use Exemption like other major-leaguers did. He will miss the rest of the season and any playoff games.

Catch up on all of yesterday’s minor league action from around the Mets farm system!

*All results from games played on Friday, September 12th, 2014

Triple-A - Las Vegas 51s (81-63; 1-3)_____________________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Double-A - Binghamton Mets (83-59; 3-2; 3-0)_________________________________

BINGHAMTON 2, RICHMOND 1 (Box)

The Binghamton Mets are champions of the Eastern League for the first time since 1994 thanks to some late-game heroics by pinch hitter Jayce Boyd and the finest pitching performance of Steven Matz's career to date.

The young left-hander held the Richmond Flying Squirrels hitless for seven and third innings and fanned eleven (eight swinging) in process. After freezing Angel Villalona with a called strike three to start the eighth, Matz surrendered consecutive safeties to Richmond's seventh and eighth place hitters. Those softly struck singles to right ended Matz's night, though upon leaving he did receive a well-deserved standing ovation from the nearly 6,000 B-Mets boosters who packed into the stands at NYSEG Stadium.

Of the 106 pitches Matz threw, 72 went for strikes and according to Lynn Worthy's recap, his fastball topped out at an easy 94 miles per hour. For the season, the lefty made 24 starts, split evenly between St. Lucie and Binghamton, and rang up nearly identical stat lines at both levels. Given that the only real difference between Matz's Single-A and Double-A performance is that he cut his walk rate by a third, there's a chance last night's near no-hitter could wind up being his last start in a B-Mets uniform.

As for the rest of the game, manager Pedro Lopez called upon Hansel Robles to protect Binghamton's 1-0 lead and the recently-converted reliever responded by fanning the first batter he faced. He came within a strike of pinning both inherited runners to their respective bases, but Richmond's leadoff hitter Daniel Carbonell poked a grounder through the right side of the infield to bring in the game's tying run.

Jumping ahead to the bottom of the ninth, series MVP Xorge Carrillo led off the frame with a single, moved to second on Wilfredo Tovar's base knock, then found himself pulled for pinch runner Gavin Cecchini. That extra bit of speed on the base paths didn't matter much, however, as pinch hitter Jayce Boyd drove a Steven Okert delivery deep to straightaway center field and well over the head of the aforementioned Daniel Carbonell for a series-ending double.

As mentioned at the top, this is the first league title for Binghamton since 1994. That championship team included several future Mets, including an infield anchored by Edgardo Alfonzo and Rey Ordonez, plus a pitching staff fronted by Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher. All told, 15 of the 34 players on the '94 squad wound up playing in the majors, some longer than others (apologies, Charlie Greene). Since two 2014 Binghamton alums, Dario Alvarez and Dilson Herrera, have already accrued service time for the Mets this September and the three former first round picks (Gavin Cecchini, Michael Fulmer, and Brandon Nimmo) suited up for the B-Mets at least once during the season, this title team might eventually be able to boast about a similarly impressive graduation rate.

• LF Kyle Johnson: 1-3, BB
• 2B T. J. Rivera: 1-3, K
• 1B Brian Burgamy: 1-3, BB
• RF Travis Taijeron: 1-4, R
• 3B Dustin Lawley: 0-4, 4 K
• CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-4, 3 K
• C Xorge Carrillo: 1-3, RBI, K
• PR Gavin Cecchini: 0-0
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 1-4
• PH Darrell Ceciliani: 0-0, BB
• PH Jayce Boyd: 1-1, 2B, RBI
• LHP Steven Matz: 7.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 11 K
• RHP Hansel Robles: 0.2 IP, H, K
• RHP Cody Satterwhite: 1 IP, H, K

High-A - St. Lucie Mets (36-33 / 76-62)_____________________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Low-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (40-29 / 84-51; 0-2)_______________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Short Season-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (42-34)_________________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Rookie - Kingsport Mets (34-34)_______________________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Rookie - Gulf Coast Mets (33-27)_______________________________________

SEASON ENDED

FINAL STATS

Star of the Night
Steven Matz

Goat of the Night
None on account of Binghamton winning the championship!

For the first time in 20 years, the Binghamton Mets can call themselves champions of the Eastern League.

The Binghamton Mets claim their title as the kings of Double-A, winning the franchise's third Eastern League Championship, 2-1, over the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) on Friday night at NYSEG Stadium. The thrilling win capped off a three-game sweep for the B-Mets (89-61), who previously captured the Eastern League title in 1992 and 1994.

Long Island's Steven Matz fired 7⅓ hitless innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters, but it was Jace Boyd's pinch-hit double in the bottom of the ninth that plated Gavin Cecchini with the championship-clinching run, sending the 5,904 fans into a frenzy. A sixth-round pick by the Mets in 2012, Boyd batted .293/.382/.414 with eight home runs and 59 RBI for Binghamton in 2014. The 23-year-old knew he hit the ball well, but tells the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin he wasn't sure if it would be enough to bring in the winning run.

"I knew I squared it up. I didn't know if it had enough to burn the guy in center field. He's a pretty good outfielder and he's got some wheels. I didn't know if it quite got over his head or not, but I knew I squared it up."

Though he was the unfortunate recipient of a no-decision when Hansel Robles allowed the Squirrels (82-67) to tie the game in the eighth, Matz turned in one of the finest outings of his career, allowing just one run (earned) on two hits and two walks to go along with his 11 punchouts.

One year after leading the B-Mets to the best regular season record in franchise history, manager Pedro Lopez was the last man standing at the conclusion of his third year at the helm in upstate New York.

"It was incredible. Last year we came up short, and being able to do what we did against Portland was a turning point. Being able to do it here and win the championship in front of our home fans was great."

Starters Tyler Pill, Greg Peavey, and Matz combined for a 1.79 ERA over 20⅓ innings in the three games, striking out 23. Brandom Nimmo and T.J. Rivera both went 11-for-34 (.324) in the postseason, which began with a five-game series win over the Portland Sea Dogs in the first round.

Xorge Carillo, who started the ninth-inning rally with a single, was named the Eastern League Playoffs Most Valuable Player.

Cody Satterwhite earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief for the B-Mets. Steven Okert suffered the loss for the Flying Squirrels after surrendering three hits and the winning run, retiring just one batter.

2014 Eastern League Champions, a big thank you to everyone who supported us all season long! pic.twitter.com/Mgnm2dADnp

— Binghamton Mets (@bmets) September 13, 2014