Washington Nationals' lefty Gio Gonzalez was not happy when manager Matt Williams came out to take the ball from him with two down in the seventh last night, and the two did have a heated discussion about Gonzalez's reaction afterwards. That's it.

Eric Young, Jr. singled to center on Gio Gonzalez's first pitch on Friday night. Washington's 28-year-old left-handed starter hit New York Mets' center fielder Juan Lagares with an 0-2 fastball in the second at bat of the bottom of the first in Citi Field, and one out later walked Lucas Duda to load the bases in front of red-hot hitting 25-year-old catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who entered the game with a 14 hits in 33 September ABs, four doubles and a home run in nine games so far this month.

Gonzalez and d'Arnaud went to a full count before the Mets' backstop sent a line drive double into the left field corner and off the wall on a hop, driving in Young, Jr., Lagares and Duda, who scored on what was ruled an error on Nats' catcher Wilson Ramos when Duda knocked the ball free sliding cleat-first into Ramos' mitt after a near-perfect relay beat the runner to the plate. 3-0 Mets.

Gonzalez retired 11 of the next 13 batters he faced through three scoreless innings before Young, Jr. singled and scored on a double by Lagares in the fifth, a half-inning after an Anthony Rendon home run tied things up at 3-3.

Gonzalez then set eight straight Mets down to get himself two outs into the bottom of the seventh before Nats' skipper Matt Williams decided to go to his bullpen after 110 pitches from his starter.

The Nationals' lefty was not happy about the decision, shouting into his glove on the mound when the manager emerged from the dugoout and emphatically "placing" the ball in Williams' hand as he left the game.

Afterwards the two engaged in an animated discussion in the dugout and retreated to a tunnel to finish the conversation.

Once the game ended, Williams was asked about the heated exchange.

"I just wanted to explain to him it's not my objective to take him out there," he said. "but it's a good matchup too."

Williams brought right-hander Aaron Barrett out to face Lagares.

"The last time around Lagares hit a double down the line," Williams said, "seeing him good, it's his third time around, I want to leave him in and finish that inning and give him a chance to get off the hook, but it's a good matchup for Aaron too. And he's upset, and I understand that. But I also want to do the best job I can to help us try to win a game too. So we had a talk about it and he understands and I understand and that's as far as it goes."

"It's part of baseball," Gonzalez said when he spoke to reporters after the Nats' 4-3 loss in New York.

"You're a competitor, you want to pitch, you want to keep going. Matt did his best of defusing as much as possible. It's part of the sport. It's just high intensity, trying to keep the game close. You've got two outs. He's been part of it where it's part of baseball. You want to keep pitching. You want to keep going out there and try to save as much out of the pen. He has every right. It's two sides of that story too. He's doing his job as a manager, trying to make sure that I'm doing all right and I'm just being a player wanting to go out there and keep pitching. So it's not bigger than what it is."

Williams said he's well aware that Gonzalez is an emotional pitcher, prone to angry conversations with himself on the mound and public displays of his intensity.

"That's good," the first-year manager said. "He competes and wants to do well and we want him to do well too. But I've got to make a decision there and of course he wants to stay in and finish that inning and I can't blame him for that."

As for Gonzalez's reaction to being removed?

"It's part of the game," Williams explained. "That was our discussion. 'Listen, I'm not here to take you out of a game when you have a chance to compete, but I also have to make those decisions too,' so that's the discussion we had. And he understands and I understand him, that he wants to stay in there and fight for us and he has been. He's been pitching really well. Tonight they got him early, and then he settled in and gave us a chance again, so that's all we can ask."

Mets snap 12-game losing streak at home vs Nationals

Photo © Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

"He's been a player too," Gonzalez said. "He knows how it feels to want to compete and give him the bat when he goes up to bat. Just like a starting pitcher, he wants the ball. Each one of these guys wants to pitch. We tried our best to defuse it."

Williams said he was happy with Gonzalez's outing overall, which saw him give up just six hits, a walk and four runs, three earned.

Gonzalez said he just wanted an opportunity to get the last out.

"Just save at least one more [for] the pen," he explained. "Just go after the guy. It's part of baseball. You've got two outs in the sixth, trying to shut it down in the sixth, trying to shut it down in the seventh and just one out away from having seven innings and again, you've just got to take it with a grain of salt and just move forward."

• We talked about the "heated" exchange, the Nats' loss to the Mets and more on last night's edition of Nats Nightly:

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

Meet the Mets

Choose Your Recap: Amazin' Avenue Short, Long, MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Star-Ledger, NY Post, Newsday

Jon Heyman reports that Terry Collins is likely safe for next year due to the Mets strong finish and support from ownership. Collins, meanwhile, is happy for the success that outfielder Chris Young is having across town. Collins has had his issues with balancing the present with the promise of the future.

After last night's victory, Jenrry Mejia added a hook and reel to his typical "backbreaker" celebration and this apparently made media folks upset for some reason. Mejia said that the celebrations are just his way of enjoying the game and he's not showing up opponents. Personal opinion: if opponents are offended, beat him on the field.

Wally Backman is joining the Mets coaching staff for the remainder of the regular season. Why do the Mets keep blackballing him?

Daniel Murphy is day-to-day after taking a pitch off his wrist on Thursday. It sounds like Dana Eveland may be finished for the year with his elbow barking.

Toby Hyde looked at the Mets prospects whose rankings are rising in the system.

Around the NL East

The Philliesbeat the Marlins 3-1 on Cody Asche's walkoff home run, while the Bravesfell 2-1 to the Rangers.

Around the Majors

Orioles slugger Chris Davis was suspended for 25 games for amphetamine use.

On the heels of all that the NFL has dealt with over the past week, Bud Selig says he can't recall the last domestic violence issue in Major League Baseball.

Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas is getting closer to becoming a free agent.

Grant Brisbee wrote about the range of emotions surrounding Giancarlo Stanton's injury.

Great story here: the White Soxhonored a scout who saved victims in an ugly car crash.

Here are 10 of the best current contracts in MLB.

Yesterday At AA

Matthew Callan's look back at the 1999 Mets continues with the burning of Atlanta.

If you read an article or find a link that you think would be a great addition to a future edition of Mets Morning News, please forward it to our tips email address tips@grission.com and we'll try to add it in.

Washington Nationals' lefty Jerry Blevins struck out the side last night against the New York Mets in Citi Field, but the reliever has struggled to retire right-handers this season and he might be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Nats' postseason roster.

Washington Nationals' lefty Jerry Blevins told reporters this winter that he thought that he might get dealt late last season when he wasn't getting used in spots that were once his.

"I saw how I didn't pitch at all in the playoffs and there [were] a few situations where normally that would be my position," Blevins said.

"But you never speculate. You start doing that, you start questioning what's going on and you can get caught up in a lot of different stuff. But you're prepared for anything as a baseball player. You understand that there is a business to it as well. And if you do get traded, you couldn't ask for a better spot to be traded to."

The Nats and Oakland A's agreed on a deal in December that sent minor league outfielder Billy Burns, the Nationals' 2013 Minor League Player of the Year, to the Athletics in return for Blevins, then 30, and coming off a 2013 campaign which saw him put up a 3.15 ERA and a 3.88 FIP in 67 games and 60 IP over which he was worth +0.3 fWAR.

Blevins had a reverse split in his final season in Oakland, with left-handers putting up a .242/.299/.442 line against him and right-handers posting a combined .184/.267/.314 line.

Through 53 IP this season with the Nationals, right-handers have put up a .313/.414/.449 line against Blevins, well above his career mark of a .246/.340/.394 line vs righties. He has, however, held lefties to a .155/.208/.224 line, down from a .206/.265/.333 career line vs left-handers.

After posting a 4.73 ERA, a 2.78 FIP and a .215/.309/.311 line against in 32 ⅓ IP in the first half of his first season in the Nats' bullpen, Blevins has put up a 6.10 ERA, a 3.26 FIP and a .259/.326/.377 line in 20 ⅔ IP thus far in the second half.

Before he took the mound last night, Blevins had a particularly rough outing in the nation's capital this past week against the Braves, giving up two singles (one by pitcher Aaron Harang), a walk and a sac fly before he was lifted by manager Matt Williams in facor of right-hander Ryan Mattheus, who surrendered a two-run double by Justin Upton that drove in the two runners he inherited from Blevins.

Williams said after that night's 6-2 loss to the Braves that he had no plans to stay away from Blevins in spite of his struggles.

"We're going to continue to give him the ball," Williams told reporters.

"Today he gave up the base hit to the pitcher and the broken-bat hit and then you get to the middle of the order and they're tough on anybody.

"It's a situation where we're going to have to continue to give him the baseball in those types of situations, we lined it up pretty good to face lefties and it didn't happen today, but hopefully next time he goes out it will happen for him."

Mets snap 12-game losing streak at home vs Nationals

Photo © Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

It did.

Blevins took the mound last night in New York, with lefty Lucas Duda, right-handed catcher Travis d'Arnaud and left-handed outfielder Curtis Granderson lined up and retired the Mets in order in a 13-pitch frame, striking out the side and keeping it close so the Nationals could attempt to rally in the top of the ninth.

It was Blevins' fourth scoreless appearance in five outings this month, but with other left-handed bullpen options like Ross Detwiler, Matt Thornton and even Xavier Cedeno available, and one starter likely to join the pen in October, is Blevins on the outside looking when it comes to the postseason roster?

• 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 improved to 12-3 against the New York Mets this season with a 10-3 win in Citi Field which featured a monster HR by Bryce Harper, more strong work from Doug Fister and another multi-hit game by Anthony Rendon.

Fister in Flushing, Queens Top 5:

5. Quick Recap:New York Mets' right-hander Zack Wheeler walked Ian Desmond in front of Bryce Harper in the top of the second inning and nine pitches later paid for the free pass when the Washington Nationals' 21-year-old left fielder hit a tape-measure blast into the PEPSI Porch in right field in Citi Field for a 2-0 lead early in third game of the four-game set in NY. Harper's 13th of the season. Upper deck.

WATCH: Bryce Harper got this game started with a bang, mashing a 2-run HR into the upper deck in RF. Take a look: http://t.co/aw5koEzyrJ

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

Desmond and Harper both reached on infield grounders in the top of the fourth, and Desmond stole his 20th base of the year in the next at bat, scoring when Mets' catcher Travis d'Arnaud sent a throw to third into left field. 3-0 Nats.

Denard Span walked and stole second in the fifth, and after scurrying back to second base safely ahead of a throw from Wheeler on a grounder back to the mound by Rendon, the Nats' center fielder scored on an RBI single to right by Jayson Werth that made it 4-0 Nationals. Ian Desmond drove Rendon and Werth in with a single to center to put the Nationals up 6-0 in NY.

WATCH: Ian Desmond thus far tonight: 2-for-2, 2 RS, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB. And he made it 6-0, #Nats with this single: http://t.co/RXKLtyVxC6

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with Curtis Granderson doubling and scoring on a two-run home run to left by Mets' shortstop Wilmer Flores. 6-2 Nationals.

Check out Wilmer Flores’ 2-run blast in the 5th: http://t.co/DpxreI1z3M#NYMvsWAS

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 14, 2014

The Nats added a run in the sixth when Denard Span reached on an infield single, took third on a single by Anthony Rendon and an error by Juan Lagares in center and scored on a Jayson Werth grounder to first. 7-2.

The Mets got a run back with Curtis Granderson singling by a diving Adam LaRoche at first with two runners on in the sixth to bring Juan Lagares in and make it 7-3.

Ian Desmond's 22nd double of the year bounced off the XEROX sign on the right field wall in Citi Field and drove Jayson Werth in from third for the Nationals' eighth run of the game. 8-3 after seven and a half in New York.

WATCH: It's @IanDesmond20's night. His RBI-double in the eighth puts the #Nats up 8-3: http://t.co/zAyRHi6rC6

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

Asdrubal Cabrera doubled to start the Nats' ninth and scored two outs later on Denard Span's fifth home run of the second. Span's blast to right off Mets' lefty Dario Alvarez made it a 10-3 game.

WATCH: And then it was 10! @thisisdspan's fifth HR of the season put the #Nats up 10-3 in the ninth: http://t.co/mUIJNLItGj

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

That's how it ended. 10-3 Nationals.

The tarp is coming off the field! #LGM#Metspic.twitter.com/RYAaDHbKlZ

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

4. Fister vs NY: Washington Nationals' pitcher Doug Fister's two starts against the New York Mets this season, in his first campaign as part of the Nats' rotation, came in back-to-back outings on August 6th and 12th which saw the 30-year-old, 6'8'' right-hander surrender just one unearned run in 14 ⅓ IP in which he gave up 13 hits and no walks while striking out 10.

After Fister held the Mets to one unearned run in 7 ⅓ IP in the first of the two starts against Washington's divisional rivals, at home in D.C., Nats' skipper Matt Williams talked to reporters about what allowed him to dominate hitters in the Nationals' 7-1 win.

"Kept them off-balance," Williams said. "Threw strikes. Relaxed, certainly, after the first inning where we got some runs and went to work, so he was really good again tonight."

"The radar gun doesn't blow up," Williams explained, "but he throws the ball where he wants to.

"Tonight he was really down in the zone, really down and on the corners tonight. We got a lot of ground balls, got a couple of double plays, and that's kind of what he provides for us, the ability with one pitch to get two outs and that's huge."

Fister returned to the mound against the Mets the next time his turn in the rotation came up and threw seven scoreless in Citi Field in another 7-1 win for the Nationals.

In an MLB Network Radio interview that week, Williams praised Fister's work in the second consecutive win over New York.

"He works fast and he throws strikes," the first-year skipper said. "His tempo is really incredible to me, the tempo at which he pitches. And it keeps our guys on their toes, they know the ball is going to be hit, so there's good plays made behind him.

"So all of those things combined just add up to him going deep in games for us and giving us a chance to win every day."

In ten second-half outings before tonight's start, the six-year veteran was (5-4) with a 2.09 ERA, a 3.74 FIP and a .257/.297/.353 line against in 64 ⅔ IP.

The start in the third game of four with the Mets in New York was the fourth of Fister's career.

In the previous three outings, including the two this year and one in 2013 when he was still with the Tigers, Fister was (3-0) with a 0.44 ERA (1 ER in 20 ⅔ IP), two walks, 14 Ks and a .263/.280/.288 line against.

Don't miss @dougfister58's sit down with @FightinHydrant tonight on MASN as Fister gets set to take the mound in NY! pic.twitter.com/5WgGXJyJKn

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 13, 2014

He took the mound in Citi Field tonight and started the evening with a grounder back to the mound.

1st:Eric Young, Jr. sent a 1-1 fastball back to Doug Fister for the first out of the Mets' first. Juan Lagares sent a one-out single through short on an 0-1 two-seamer. Daniel Murphy K'd swinging through an 0-2 fastball for out no.2 and K no.1. Lucas Duda stepped in with a runner on and two out and lined out to center to end a 13-pitch frame by the Nats' starter.

2nd: Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to second to start the Mets' half of the second inning. Curtis Granderson took an 0-1 cutter in the thigh and took his base. Wilmer Flores sent a grounder to short in the next at bat to start an inning-ending 6-4-3. Nine-pitch inning, 22 total after two.

3rd: Dilson Herrera sent a fly ball to Denard Span in center for the first out of the bottom of the third. Zack Wheeler sent a high fly to Bryce Harper in left. Fister got over to cover on a grounder to first by Eric Young, Jr. and Adam LaRoche's toss to the bag ended a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3 third. 31 total after three.

4th: Juan Lagares grounded out to first to start the fifth. Daniel Murphy popped up to short left. Lucas Duda walked with two down. Travis d'Arnaud's pop to short ended an 11-pitch fourth, 42 total for Fister.

5th: Curtis Granderson doubled over Denard Span's head to start the Mets' fifth and Wilmer Flores followed with a two-run home run to left that landed in the Party City.com deck. 6-2 Nats. Dilson Herrera grounded out to third for the first out of the inning. Pinch hitter Bobby Abreu sent a fly to center for out no.2. Eric Young, Jr.'s groundout to second ended a 13-pitch frame that left Fister at 55 pitches.

6th: Juan Lagares singled to left to start the sixth. Ian Desmond fielded a grounder off Daniel Murphy's bat, but dropped it as he headed to second trying to start a DP. Two on, no out. Lucas Duda K'd looking at a filthy 3-2 bender from Fister for the first out of the frame. Travis d'Arnaud stepped in with two on and one out sent a fly to left for out no.2. Curtis Granderson ripped a grounder toward first in the next at bat and it got by a diving Adam LaRoche, allowing a run to score to make it 7-3 Nats. Wilmer Flores stepped in with runners on the corners and K'd swinging to end a 20-pitch frame. 75 total for Fister after six.

The line on @dougfister58 tonight: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2ER), 1 BB, 3 K -- 75 pitches, 50 strikes. pic.twitter.com/AhJ08kclJd

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

• Doug Fister's Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 75 P, 50 S, 8/5 GO/FO.

3. Wheeler Dealer: In ten starts in the second half of his second major league campaign before tonight's outing in New York against the visiting Washington Nationals, 24-year-old Mets' righty Zack Wheeler was (5-1) with a 2.47 ERA, a 3.86 FIP, 26 walks (3.77 BB/9), 64 Ks (9.29 K/9) and a .214/.308/.350 line against in 62 IP.

One of those starts, and one of his five second-half wins came in an outing against the NL East-leading Nationals, against whom he threw 6 ⅔ strong back on August 5th in the nation's capital, holding Nats' hitters to seven hits, four walks and one earned run in a 6-1 win in Nationals Park.

The win that day left the San Francisco Giants' '09 1st Round pick, acquired by the Mets in the July 2011 trade that sent Carlos Beltran out West, (2-4) in six career starts against the Nationals, with a 4.14 ERA, 12 walks (2.92 BB/9) and 30 Ks (7.30 K/9) in 37 IP over which Nats' hitters have put up a combined .282/.340/.444 line against the right-hander.

At home in New York this season, before tonight's start, Wheeler was (4-5) in 11 outings with a 3.74 ERA, 3.41 FIP and a .242/.327/.371 line against in 65 IP.

Wheeler's 12th start of the season at home began with a scoreless 17-pitch first in which he worked around a one-out single by Anthony Rendon.

Ian Desmond walked to start the second and Bryce Harper hit a moonshot into the second deck, or Pepsi Porch, in the at bat that followed, taking a full-count fastball for a ride and a two-run blast that made it 2-0 Nats. Harper's 13th. Wheeler's 30-pitch second left him at 47 overall after two.

Anthony Rendon was 2 for 2 tonight and 8 for 12 in the third game of the Nats' four-game set in New York after a leadoff single in the third, but he was doubled up on a grounder to short off Jayson Werth's bat. A swinging K by Adam LaRoche ended a 20-pitch frame that left Wheeler at 67 pitches.

Ian Desmond reached on an infield grounder in the first at bat of the fourth that bounced off Dilson Herrera's wrist and Bryce Harper reached on a swinging bunt. Desmond stole third with Asdrubal Cabrera up and scored when Travis d'Arnaud sailed the throw. 3-0 Nationals. Three outs later, Harper was stranded at the end of a 20-pitch frame by Wheeler, who was up to 87 pitches overall.

Congrats to @IanDesmond20 for going 20-20 (HR/SB) for 3rd straight season! Just the 4th SS in MLB history to do it. pic.twitter.com/LEg7GxIPNy

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

Ian Desmond joins Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins and Alex Rodriguez as the only SS in MLB history to go 20-20 at least 3x.

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

Denard Span walked to start the fifth and stole second with Anthony Rendon up. SB no.31. Span got back to second safely on a grounder to the mound by Rendon when Wheeler turned and threw behind him and scored on an RBI single to right by Jayson Werth in the next at bat. 4-0 Nats. That was it for Wheeler...

• Zack Wheeler's Line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 100 P, 59 S, 4/1 GO/FO.

2. Turning Point(s): The New York Mets' 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals last night was their first in eight games this season in Citi Field and their first in thirteen in New York going back to June of 2013.

@JWerthsBeard .... pic.twitter.com/nGkVEvAEdQ

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

With the win, they improved to 3-11 against the NL East-leading Nationals this season and 85-93 overall against their divisional rivals since baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2005.

It was just the fifth win in the last 31 games the two teams have played in Citi Field since September of 2011, as the Nationals have dominated the Mets in their own home over the last few seasons.

Could the Mets make it two in-a-row at home tonight? Nope.

This one was over fairly early. Zack Wheeler issued a leadoff walk to Ian Desmond in the second and gave up a big blast to right by Bryce Harper, who hit a two-run blast into the upper deck in Citi Field. Harper's 13th HR put the Nats' up 2-0 early and they added a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth to get out to a 6-0 lead in what ended up an 10-3 win.

1. The Wrap-Up:Gonzalez Germen took over on the mound in the Nationals' fifth, and retired Adam LaRoche, but Ian Desmond singled to center in the next at bat to drive both Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth in and give the Nats a 6-0 lead in Citi Field. Bryce Harper and Asdrubal Cabrera took back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out, but Jose Lobaton and Doug Fister K'd swinging to end the top of the frame.

Buddy Carlyle gave up an infield single by Denard Span and a line drive to right by Anthony Rendon. An error by Juan Lagares in center allowed Span to take third...and he scored on a grounder to first by Jayson Werth on which the Mets got an out failed to turn a DP. 7-2 Nationals after five and a half.

Bryce Harper singled off Carlyle to start the seventh and took third one out later on a single to right by Jose Lobaton. Nate Schierholtz dropped a swinging bunt in front of home and was thrown out by d'Arnaud. Josh Edgin came on to face Denard Span with runners on second and third and two out and got a groundout to first to strand two. 7-3 D.C.

Rafael Soriano took over on the mound in the home-half of the seventh and retired the Mets in order in a 15-pitch frame.

Mets' right-hander Vic Black hit Anthony Rendon up high with a 1-0 fastball in the first at bat of the eighth. Jayson Werth reached on a pop to right that Curtis Granderson dropped, but the unexpected misplay allowed him to double Rendon up at second. Werth took third on a grounder to first by Adam LaRoche, and scored on Ian Desmond's third hit of the ninth and 22nd double of the season, 8-3.

Ross Detwiler came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth and gave up a leadoff single by Juan Lagares before retiring the next three Mets in order in a 13-pitch frame.

Mets' lefty Dario Alvarez gave up a leadoff double by Asdrubal Cabrera, who scored two outs later on Denard Span's fifth home run of the season. 10-3 Nationals.

Xavier Cedeno retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the ninth. Ballgame.

Nationals now 84-63

The Mets played an all-around poor game and got manhandled by the impressive Nationals.

Three runs, six hits, four errors -- that was the Mets' ugly line tonight in a wet 10-3 loss that was never close.

The Nationals built a 6-0 lead against Zack Wheeler by the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run hit by Bryce Harper into the Pepsi Porch. Wheeler was not sharp; he lasted just four innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking two. It was his shortest outing since a game in late June against the A's. The Nats added four runs against six Mets relievers, capped by a two-run home run off the bat of Denard Span against Dario Alvarez.

The Mets got on the board in the fifth inning against Nats starter Doug Fister thanks to a Wilmer Flores two-run home run. It broke an 0-for-21 stretch for Flores. Curtis Granderson added an RBI single in the sixth inning and was on base three times. Juan Lagares went 3-for-4. Besides that, the Mets' lineup was quiet.

Dilson Herrera, Travis d'Arnaud, Wilmer Flores, and Juan Lagares committed errors, and the Nationals stole three bases. Sloppy weather, sloppy game. The Mets will try to split the series on Sunday at 1:10 pm EST. The pitching matchup is Jon Niese vs Jordan Zimmermann.

GameThread Roll Call

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

The Washington Nationals pounded out 15 hits and scored 10 runs to run away with the next-to-last game in Citi Field this season and beat the New York Mets 10-3 on Saturday night. Matt Williams talked afterwards about running up Zack Wheeler's pitch count.

New York Mets' right-hander Zack Wheeler was (7-1) in his last 12 starts going back to the start of July before taking the mound tonight against the Washington Nationals, with a 2.28 ERA and a .216/.304/.353 line over that stretch.

When he was done for the evening, after just four innings in which he gave up seven hits, two walks and six earned runs, the 24-year-old, second-year major leaguer had thrown at total of 100 pitches to the 21 batters he faced, who ran up his pitch count and knocked him around, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in what ended up a 10-3 Nationals' win in Citi Field.

After a relatively quick, 17-pitch top of the first in which he worked around the first of four hits Nationals' third baseman Anthony Rendon collected on the night, the Mets' starter threw 30 pitches in the second, giving up a two-run home run by 21-year-old Nationals' slugger Bryce Harper after a leadoff walk to Ian Desmond, 20 pitches in the third to push him up to 67 overall and another 20 in the fourth as the Nats added a third run on an errant throw by catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who air-mailed an attempt to catch Desmond stealing third.

Wheeler was thirteen pitches into the fifth, when an RBI single by Jayson Werth which drove Denard Span in from second and made it 4-0 and ended the starter's night. Both of the runners he left on scored on a two-run single by Ian Desmond that made it 6-0 Nats.

The Nationals added four more runs before it was over with Jayson Werth grounding into a force in the sixth that brought Span in from third, Desmond driving Werth in with his third hit of the night in the eighth and Span hitting a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to cap off the 10-3 win.

Nats' skipper Matt Williams was asked after the game about the damage the Nationals' "long" lineup can do on night's like tonight when they combined for 15 hits with Rendon (4), Desmond (3), Harper (3) and catcher Jose Lobaton (2) all putting together multi-hit efforts.

"I think everybody wants a deep, long lineup," Williams said.

"If you can accomplish that then you don't give the other team any breaks along the way. That's our objective. Our objective it to put together good at bats, long at bats and grind through the first few innings and score when we can, but grind through those at bats and get a good feel for the starter and go from there.

"Tonight was an example of that, we got some opportunities, we took advantage of it and got his pitch count up. He's a good pitcher, he's had a lot of success lately, and we just got his pitch count up tonight."

Werth's second RBI gave up 80 even on the season, and gave the Nationals four players with 80+ RBIs on the year: Werth (80), Rendon (80), Desmond (86) and Adam LaRoche (86).

Williams was asked what that tells him about the Nats' balanced attack?

"It tells me that we've got pretty good on-base guys and guys are out there," Williams said. "We've got some guys with some homers. You know, not 40 and not 120 RBIs but we've got guys that have been consistent all year and that's good. If we can get a deep lineup like that then we feel good about our offense going into any game, so that just speaks to consistency and it speaks to guys being on base for them."

Nationals 10-3 over Mets in Citi Field

Photo © Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The Nationals entered play on Saturday fifth in the NL with a .320 OBP as a team, as one of only two teams, along with the Pirates, with four players in the Top 30 among qualified players in the National League in OBP.

Their win over the Mets was the the Nats' 12th in fifteen games against their NL East rivals from New York and their eighth in nine games in Citi Field this season with one more to play Sunday afternoon.

New York Daily News | Bill Madden: Joe Torre's brother Frank passed away at the age of 82 on Saturday.

LoHud | Chad Jennings:Chase Headley talks about getting hit in the face with a ball.

Newsday | David Lennon: Chris Young has been good, but he can't carry the Yankees on his back.

NJ.com | Mike Vorkunov:Mets manager Terry Collins is happy that Chris Young is finding success with the Yankees.

It's About the Money | William Tasker: Part of Mark Teixeira's struggles can be attributed to the fact that he takes too many first-pitch strikes.

Pinstriped Pundits | Jed Weisberger: The Yankees need to let Bryan Mitchell pitch for the rest of the season so they can evaluate him.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Chase Headley will wear a face guard when he returns.

Bill Rom, a certified performance enhancement specialist, explains and analyzes Wright's nagging shoulder injury.

Most of you don’t know who I am, so I will start with a little background: I run a performance center on Long Island working with athletes from a number of different sports. The population I am best known for working with is baseball players. I have had the privilege of working with nearly 250 baseball players in the last year alone, ranging from those in little league to the professional level.

While we focus most of our time on the skills aspect of what makes a player great, it is oftentimes the body that dictates what actually transpires on the field. Mike Trout’s physical dominance magnifies his skills, and the aging and battering of the body—more so than a degradation of skill—tends to be what dictates the end of an athlete's career.

I hope to show the ins and outs out of the physical nature of the sport through the eyes of a professional that deals with these cases every day. Our first foray into this topic will play a big role in the Mets' future, and that is David Wright and his ailing shoulder.

The Injury

Back in June, Wright slid and apparently jammed his shoulder; from the looks of it, he was never right again. The source of the injury seems to be Wright's rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a network of four muscles that help keep the upper arm in the socket; it is attached to the shoulder blade and helps to stabilize the arm through motion. The inflammation that Wright is experiencing is exacerbated by a lack of rest and the repeated efforts his shoulder had to endure throughout the season.

This type of injury is not uncommon among overhead-throwing athletes. Between swinging a bat, sliding, falling, and throwing a baseball, the shoulders get a tremendous amount of abuse during the course of a season. This abuse doesn’t always manifest itself in injuries, but when small inflammation arises, the body will tend to make compensations in order to keep itself functioning. Over time, this can cause further damage or new injuries to other parts of the body.

(Photo credit: Mike Ehrmann)

The Cause

While on the surface it is easy to blame the jamming of the shoulder for Wright's decline, it was only the impetus for what would happen throughout the season. After an injury, the body will rewire itself to make new movement possible. This reworking of the system will tend to create inefficient movements, that when left unchecked will impact performance or increase the risk of injury.

Take, for example, a forearm strain. Oftentimes this is the precursor to many athletes' UCL injuries (the ligament affected in Tommy John surgery). Although the forearm itself isn’t ultimately the problem, it is the first thing to go and a sign that things are wrong. When the forearm is strained, other muscles are asked to take on more responsibility than they are capable of, which leads to their getting injured.

Athletes can use cortisone shots and other medical treatments to work around an injury to get back on the field. This helps mask the problem, until ultimately the body can no longer compensate, and an injury occurs. With Wright, the jamming of the left shoulder altered his swing. This likely caused subtle changes to his mechanics that you may not see immediately, but that slowly turned into bad habits. These mechanical changes probably increased the stress on his body, exacerbating the injury and making his swing less effective.

The Prognosis

The Mets are trying to avoid surgery for a potential tear in Wright's shoulder and have prescribed a program of rest, rehabilitation, and then reevaluation later on. If the inflammation in his shoulder is too great, an MRI may have trouble picking up a tear, which is why they are delaying surgery.

If Wright were to need surgery to repair the shoulder, his time frame for recovery would be significantly longer and would jeopardize the start of his 2015 season. Often, if the tear is caused by a blunt trauma (like the jammed shoulder in June), one would undergo a procedure shortly thereafter. Since we are dealing with a many-months-long injury, the solution is less clear.

At the end of the day, rotator cuff surgeries can be very aggressive and may not improve the shoulder to a significant degree; thus, aggressive physical therapy coupled with strength and conditioning are often used to retrain the muscles to fire and stabilize properly, and adequately aid in the return to competition.

(Photo credit: Rob Foldy)

The Program

From soft tissue strategies designed to break up bad muscle tissue quality, to physical therapist protocols to improve recruitment of the proper musculature, Wright’s needs for the offseason are many and varied.

Most major leaguers's seasons are done within the next month, and the vast majority of minor leaguers are already on their way home. The best and most dedicated athletes of these populations will take roughly two-to-three weeks off from the season to decompress and let their bodies catch up, and then it is right back to work.

Wright's first six weeks will be about managing his current injury and trying to improve the strength in his shoulder to a great enough degree that he is deemed capable of training and practicing without risk of further damage. By mid-to-late October, we will know both how Wright is faring and more about when he can return next year. Without surgery, Wright will most likely begin his strength training in earnest by November 10 at the latest. This gives him 12 weeks to prepare for the 2015 season.

The most important aspect of training for players like Wright is to regain total motion of his shoulders following the season. As an athlete builds workloads on top of his body, he begins to lose ranges of motion in the shoulder. This lack of motion contributes to injuries, as the loss in total motion and decreased strength put additional stresses on other parts of the body to make up for the lost motion and control.

Training the rotator cuff will demand Wright to challenge his grip and shoulder stability in a variety of exercises, from pushups with rotational movements to dynamic stabilization using a body blade; Wright’s programs should be geared toward creating control under random and varied conditions to improve his resistance to injury.

Wright is at the point of his career where the goal is no longer performance improvement, but maintenance of the physical abilities that allow him to be great at what he does. It takes a tremendous amount of strength, stamina, and coordination to practice swings, field balls, and work on throws to first. All of this training builds stress on the body that either can or cannot be maintained. If David is to maximize his impact on the Mets next year and the years to come, he will need to keep his body's health as his top priority.

Whether it was Wilmer Flores's and Lucas Duda’s offseason conditioning camp, or Brandon Nimmo’s storied physical transformation last offseason, the role of therapy, strength, and performance training is changing the perception of what is possible. No longer are athletes pegged as irredeemably slow, weak, or without room for improvement. With this changing landscape will come both physical improvements and injuries that will alter the landscape of baseball. It is my hope that I can help guide Mets fans in understanding more about the team, the players, and the sport they love.

Washington Nationals' right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and New York Mets' lefty Jon Niese battled it out through six scoreless, but Wilson Ramos hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh and the Nats took the ninth of ten games in Citi Field this season, 3-0.

So long, Citi Field Top 5:

5. Quick Recap: Jordan Zimmermann worked his way into and out of trouble in the first five innings this afternoon in the finale of the Washington Nationals' four-game set with the New York Mets in Citi FIeld. Through five innings, the Mets were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in the last game between the NL East rivals in NY this season.

Both pitchers threw six scoreless on 91 pitches, but the Nationals finally got on the board in the seventh with Ian Desmond reaching on an infield single, taking second on a sac bunt and scoring on a two-run home run to right by Wilson Ramos, who hit an opposite field blast on a 1-1 fastball from Niese. 2-0 Nats on Ramos' 10th.

WATCH: @WRamosC3. Oppo. Mercy. #Nats lead, 2-0! #HornsUphttp://t.co/8PiN82MsFc

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

Ian Desmond doubled to start the ninth and scored during a botched rundown attempt with two down to put the Nationals up 3-0. That's how it ended.

Play Ball! #LGM#NYMvsWAShttp://t.co/ID6explZ8G

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 14, 2014

4. Zimmermann in Citi Field: In 10 second-half starts before today's, 28-year-old Washington Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmermann was (5-0) with the Nats 9-1 in his outings, over which the right-hander put up a 2.77 ERA, seven walks (0.97 BB/9) and 62 Ks (8.58 K/9) in 65 IP in which the '07 2nd Round pick held opposing hitters to a .235/.258/.370 line against.

Two of Zimmermann's ten second-half starts were against the New York Mets he was facing today in the series finale in Citi Field. In back-to-back outings against the Nats' NL East rivals, Zimmermann gave up a total of 12 hits and four runs, three earned in 5-3 and 3-2 wins for the Nationals.

In the first of the two starts, Mets' infielder Daniel Murphy doubled in a run in the third and the other two of the three earned runs Zimmermann allowed came after he left the mound when Drew Storen gave up a sac fly and RBI single that tied things up at 3-3 and left the starter with no decision.

"I thought it went pretty well," Zimmermann said of the start in D.C. "They didn't get too many hard-hit balls. The one that Murphy hit, the double, was about the only one and all the other ones were little ground balls that got through or weak contact that just fell in."

The next time out, Zimmermann allowed just one unearned run in 6 ⅓ IP on the mound in Citi Field. That start left the righty (2-0) against the Mets this season with a 2.89 ERA, two walks (0.96 BB/9) and 10 Ks (4.82 K/9) in 18 ⅔ IP over which he's held Mets' hitters to a combined .274/.303/.301 line.

In his career against the Nationals' NL East rivals before today's start, Zimmermann was (6-5) in 19 outings with a 3.16 ERA, 23 walks (1.86 BB/9) and 86 Ks (6.97 K/9) in 111 IP over which he's held Mets' hitters to a combined .253/.294/.378 line.

The 20th start of Zimmermann's career against New York began with weak grounder to second...

1st:Eric Young, Jr. rolled over a 1-1 fastball and sent a weak grounder to second. Juan Lagares chased a 1-2 slider out of the zone. Daniel Murphy's fly to right ended a quick, 10-pitch, 1-2-3 first.

2nd: Lucas Duda popped up to Anthony Rendon to start the second. WIlmer Flores tripled to left-center on a 2-2 fastball when Denard Span came up short on a diving attempt. Curtis Granderson stepped in with a runner on third and out out and popped out to left, not deep enough. Anthony Recker got a two-out RBI opportunity, but K'd looking at a 2-2 heater to end an 18-pitch second. 28 pitches overall for Zimmermann after two scoreless.

3rd:Ruben Tejada singled to center to start the Mets' third, but was forced out at second on a bunt to third base by Jon Niese. Eric Young, Jr. took a fastball inside off the wrist to put two on. Juan Lagares popped out to second for out no.2. Daniel Murphy stepped in with runners on the corners and two down and popped out to foul territory off third to end a nine-pitch third that left Zimmermann at 37 pitches.

4th: Lucas Duda grounded out to first to start the Mets' fourth. Wilmer Flores was 2 for 2 today after a one-out single to left. Curtis Granderson sent Flores around to third with a single to right, by a diving Adam LaRoche. Anthony Recker stepped in with runners on the corners and walked to load the bases for Ruben Tejada, who lined out to short for the second out of the inning. Jon Niese got a DIY chance with two down and popped to third to leave'em loaded. 23-pitch frame, 60 total after four.

5th: Eric Young, Jr. grounded out to first on the first pitch of the Mets' fifth, but Juan Lagares doubled by the first base bag in the next at bat. Daniel Murphy K'd swinging at a 1-2 slider for out no.2. Lucas Duda took a 1-2 fastball in his right bicep. Wilmer Flores, who was 2 for 2 after two at bats, fell behind 0-2 quickly and sent a fly to left to end an 18-pitch frame. 78 total.

6th: Curtis Granderson sent a fly ball to center to start the bottom of the sixth. One out. Anthony Recker lined a first-pitch slider to left for a one-out single. Ruben Tejada popped to third for out no.2 and Jon Niese fouled strike three into Wilson Ramos' mitt to end a 13-pitch frame that left Zimmermann at 91 pitches after six.

7th: Eric Young, Jr. chased a two-strike slider outside. Juan Lagares popped to short-center where Danny Espinosa made the catch. Two down. That was it for Zimmermann...

The line on Jordan Zimmermann today: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K -- 103 pitches, 74 strikes. pic.twitter.com/9qvlrcd294

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

• Jordan Zimmermann's Line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks, 103 P, 74 S, 4/5 GO/FO.

3. Niese vs the Nats: Last time out on the mound against the Washington Nationals on August 6th, 27-year-old New York Mets' lefty Jon Niese got knocked around, giving up eight hits, two walks and six earned runs in 6 IP in a 7-1 loss.

It was the Mets' '05 7th Round pick's second start of the season against the Nats, after he gave up eight hits, two walks and five runs, three earned in 4 IP in a May 16th outing which New York lost, 5-2.

The two starts this season were the eighth and ninth of his seven-year career against Washington, leaving him (3-2) with a 3.52 ERA, 12 walks and 47 Ks in 53 ⅔ IP over which Nationals' hitters have put up a combined .284/.321/.417 line against him.

In ten second-half starts before this afternoon's, Niese was (3-6) with the Mets 4-6 in his outings, over which he's put up a 4.59 ERA and a .308/.354/.492 line against in 64 ⅔ IP.

#Mets players made some new friends at Bark at the Park before today's game. pic.twitter.com/UopFq9cBdU

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 14, 2014

Niese's third start of the season against the Nationals began with a scoreless, 19-pitch first in which he worked around Anthony Rendon's one-out double.

Niese needed 16 pitches to set the Nats down in order in the second, leaving him at 35 pitches total after two.

Danny Espinosa reached on what was ruled a leadoff single that Daniel Murphy couldn't backhand at third. A bunt by Jordan Zimmermann moved Espinosa over, but he was caught off second on a grounder back to the mound by Denard Span. A swinging K by Anthony Rendon ended a 13-pitch frame that left Niese at 48 pitches.

An 11-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth in which Wilmer Flores made a nice diving grab to rob Adam LaRoche of a single left Niese at 59 pitches. Niese struck out the side and retired his seventh, eighth and ninth straight batters in a 15-pitch fifth that left him at 74 pitches.

"How To Earn Your Pitcher's Love," by Wilmer Flores. http://t.co/KXVcmzPMkv

— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) September 14, 2014

Denard Span singled with one down in the Nats' sixth and took second on a two-out line drive single to left by Jayson Werth, but Adam LaRoche lined out to Curtis Granderson in right to end Jon Niese's sixth scoreless. 17-pitch frame, 91 total.

Ian Desmond beat Niese to the bag on a grounder to first for an infield single in the top of the seventh. Bryce Harper bunted Desmond over/gave up an out... and Wilson Ramos hit a 1-1 fastball out to right over the WISE chips sign on the right field wall for a two-run blast and a 2-0 lead. 16-pitch frame for Niese, 107 total after seven.

#HORNSUP!! @WRamosC3's 10th HR of the season sails over the right field fence and the #Nats are on the board! Up 2-0 on the #Mets in the 7th

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

• Jon Niese's Line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, 1 HR, 107 P, 72 S, 6/4 GO/FO.

2. Citi Nationals Field: Entering the Nationals' final game of the season in the Mets' home, the NL East's first-place team was 12-3 against their divisional rivals and 8-1 Citi Field this summer after taking two of the first three games of the four-game long-weekend set in New York. Going back to September 2011, to have fun with arbitrary end points, the Nationals were 27-5 in the last 32 games contested in Flushing, Queens, NY. The Nats' win today left them 9-1 in Citi Field this season and 13-3 against the Mets on the year.

1. The Wrap-Up:Matt Thornton took over for Jordan Zimmermann with two out in the seventh and got over to cover on a groundout to first by Daniel Murphy to end the frame. 2-0 Nationals.

Carlos Torres took the mound for the Mets in the top of the eighth and gave up a two-out single to right by Jayson Werth, but Adam LaRoche popped to second to end the inning.

Tyler Clippard took the mound for the Nats in the eighth and threw a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 frame.

Torres came back out for the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to center by Ian Desmond. Two outs later, Desmond scored on a botched rundown attempt to make it 3-0.

STORENWARNING!!!!: Drew Storen took the mound looking for save no.5 of 2014. Anthony Recker popped to center. ONE! Pinch hitter Bobby Abreu lined to right for a one-out single. Kirk Nieuwenhuis stepped in with pinch runner Dilson Herrera at first base and grounded out to Adam LaRoche. Storen got over to cover. TWO!! Matt den Dekker stepped with two out and grounded weakly to first... for an infield single. Juan Lagares stepped in with two out and flew to right to end it. Ballgame. 3-0 Nationals.

Nationals now 85-63

Washington Nationals' right-hander Jordan Zimmermann threw 6 2/3 scoreless on the mound in Citi Field this afternoon in what ended up a 3-0 win over the New York Mets. "Just got a good stretch going," Zimmermann said. "There's nothing that really sticks out."

New York Mets' second baseman Wilmer Flores tripled with one down in the second inning this afternoon in Citi Field, but two outs later he was stranded on third base.

Shortstop Ruben Tejada singled to start the third, and took second on a sac bunt before Eric Young, Jr. was hit by a pitch from Washington Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmermann, who retired the next two batters he faced to complete a scoreless third that left the Mets 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.

Back-to-back one-out singles by Flores and Mets' outfielder Curtis Granderson and a walk by catcher Anthony Recker loaded the bases with one down in the bottom of the fourth, but Ruben Tejada lined out to short and starter Jon Niese popped out in foul territory off third to end another threat.

A one-out double by Juan Lagares in the fifth and a two-out HBP on Lucas Duda put two runners on again, but a fly to left by Wilmer Flores ended the inning.

Zimmermann gave up a one-out double by Recker in the sixth, but stranded him at the end of a 13-pitch frame that left the Nats' right-hander at 91 pitches.

Two outs and 12 pitches into the seventh, after Wilson Ramos' two-run home run to right in the top of the inning gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead, Zimmermann was lifted in favor of left-hander Matt Thornton, who retired Daniel Murphy to end the bottom of the inning.

The line on Jordan Zimmermann today: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K -- 103 pitches, 74 strikes. pic.twitter.com/9qvlrcd294

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

Zimmermann's Line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 Ks, 103 P, 74 S, 4/5 GO/FO.

"[Zimmermann] pitched out of some jams today," Nationals' skipper Matt Williams said after the Nats' 3-0 win in New York. "It's a question of just making pitches when you need to. Pitched around a couple of guys when he needed to and got the matchups he wanted and got out of the innings. So, that's just the sign of a veteran pitcher who knows what he's doing out there. He pitched well."

"Few innings I had my hands full and I was able to make the pitch when I needed to," Zimmermann said after he improved to (6-0) in his last 11 starts, over which he's put up a 2.51 ERA (20 ER in 65 ⅔ IP).

"Got that pop-up to left to Bryce [Harper] shallow enough where he could throw it home and the guy didn't score. And then I had bases loaded with [Jon] Niese and he gave me a little bit of a battle but I was able to get him pop out so I made the pitch when I had to and got out of those jams."

With the win today, the Nationals improved to 9-0 in the 28-year-old, '07 2nd Round pick's last nine starts.

The right-hander was asked if there was anything working particularly well that's led to his run over the last month-plus?

"Just got a good stretch going," Zimmermann said. "There's nothing that really sticks out. Just try to put up zeros and keep the game close and these guys are going to score runs. Try to keep it close and [Ramos] hits a two-run homer. That's just the way we are and we're going to battle to the end."

"That's the difference in the game," Williams said of the 10th HR of the year by the Nats' catcher. "We were able to get one in the last, but [Ramos] just got a fastball out over that he could handle and hit it over the right-center field fence. He's got that ability at any time. So that's a big hit for us."

#HornsUp! #Helmetsoff!: Nats 3-0 over Mets in NY

Photo © Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports

"It's tough to hit the ball the other way with power," the rookie manager continued, "but that is his power, middle of the diamond, the other way, so he got a pitch to handle."

The Nationals improved to 13-3 against the Mets this season with the win and 9-1 in Citi Field after the final game of the year in New York. Up next, a three-game set with Atlanta during which the Nationals have a chance to clinch the division.

Zimmermann was asked about the magic no. being down to five after the Nats' win and four after the Braves dropped their third straight to the Texas Rangers.

"It will be a lot better when the magic number is zero," Zimmermann said. "But we're in good shape going down to Atlanta and still take it one game at a time, and hopefully we can celebrate down there."

• We talked about Jordan Zimmermann's outing, the home run by Wilson Ramos and the Nats' season in Citi Field on the latest edition of Nats Nightly:

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

Meet the Mets

Jon Niese was nice, but his performance was not enough to best the Nationals on Sunday. Wilson Ramos hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Mets were shut out by Jordan Zimmermann and company. Washington won 3-0 to eliminate the Mets from National League East title contention.

Recap Parade:Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, ESPN NY, New York Post, Daily News, Newsday

Sunday's game was another frustrating one for Niese.

Dana Eveland is being shut down for the rest of the season due to elbow inflammation.

Vic Black is getting an MRI done on his right shoulder today. Hopefully the test doesn't show anything too serious.

Media to Mets: Become young and talented like the Nationals, but do it without rebuilding. We hate rebuilding! By the way, the Nats had six straight losing seasons of their own before finally breaking out and winning 98 games in 2012.

The Mets should use the rest of the season to try out Juan Lagares in the leadoff spot.

Around the NL East

After blowing the lead for Philadelphia, Jonathan Papelbon was ejected for a poorly timed junk grab. The Phillies lost to the Marlins, 5-4.

The Braves were crushed by the Rangers and now stand four games out of a playoff spot.

Around the Majors

Josh Harrison started an around-the-horn triple play for the Pirates during their win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Kelly Johnson showed up one of his many former clubs when he recorded a walk-off knock against the Yankees last night.

The Tigers came from behind to defeat the Indians and widen their lead in the American League Central.

One of Cuba's top pitchers has defected from his native country. Yasmany Hernandez plans on signing with a major league team this winter.

Coors Field sports a new standing room section that could change the way future ballparks are built.

Yesterday at AA

Certified performance enhancement specialist Bill Rom stopped by to analyze David Wright's shoulder injury.

Steve Sypa reminded us to be on the lookout for Steven Matz in the near future.

On this date in 1963, the first ever Banner Day was held at the Polo Grounds.

Ian Desmond collected five hits in his last eight at bats this weekend and the Washington Nationals' shortstop stole his 20th base of the season to join some elite company on the list of major league shortstops with three 20/20 seasons.

Through the first two games of the Washington Nationals' four-game set against the Mets in Citi Field, 28-year-old Nats' shortstop Ian Desmond was 1 for 8 with three Ks, but on Saturday night in New York, Desmond went 3 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored in the NL East division-leader's 10-3 win.

Desmond took a free pass in front of Bryce Harper in the second, and scored when Harper homered to right off Zack Wheeler.

In the fourth, Desmond led off with a grounder though the right side, took second on a Bryce Harper single, then stole third, collecting his 20th stolen base of the season, before scoring when Mets' catcher Travis d'Arnaud's throw to third went by the base and into left.

Congrats to @IanDesmond20 for going 20-20 (HR/SB) for 3rd straight season! Just the 4th SS in MLB history to do it. pic.twitter.com/LEg7GxIPNy

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 14, 2014

His two-run single in the fifth drove both Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth in to make it 6-0 Nats, and Desmond stole his 21st base of the year before eventually being stranded.

Desmond's third hit of the night on Saturday was his 22nd double of the year as he drove Werth in again to make it 8-3 over the Mets after eight. The line drive to right field fell just short of being Desmond's 23rd home run of the year, boucing off the top of the outfield wall.

Matt Wiliams was asked about Desmond's third straight 20/20 season after the the Nationals' 12th win in 13 games in the Mets' home this season.

"20/20 is good," Williams said, "and he's really good when he's hitting the ball like he's hitting the ball like he's hitting it right now. The other way, in the right-center field gap is key for him. And he hit a couple balls that way tonight, one bullet back through the middle, so he's right on it, staying on the baseball which is good."

Desmond's three-hit night on Saturday left him with a .250/.307/.415 line in the year, 22 doubles, 23 HRs and 21 stolen bases, to go along with a major league-leading 174 Ks in 143 games and 605 plate appearances.

"It is that package," Williams explained. "It's speed and power. He stole a couple of bases tonight. He's got the ability to do a lot of things. When he puts it together it's speed and power and he's shown that this year. Hitting in the five or six-hole or seven-hole where he was early, that provides an extra boost to our offense."

Desmond followed up on the 3 for 4 night in New York on Saturday with a 2 for 4 game in the series finale with the Mets on Sunday, scoring two of the three runs the Nats put up in their 3-0 win.

After singling to start the seventh, Desmond scored on Wilson Ramos' two-run home run to right off Mets' starter Jon Niese.

The 23rd two-base hit of Desmond's 2014 campaign started the ninth and two outs later he scored from third when Danny Espinosa, who walked, was caught in a rundown off first on a pitch from Mets' reliever Carlos Torres that bounced in the dirt but was blocked by catcher Anthony Recker.

"The idea behind that," the Nationals' first-year skipper told reporters, "is if that ball goes in the dirt, we're looking to potentially force a throw to second, but Recker bounced out of there with it. Danny stopped in hopes that [Recker] would throw the ball to second, which he didn't.

"[Espinosa] eventually got caught out there a little bit, and tried to stay in the rundown to get [Desmond] to go."

Desmond broke for home when Mets' second baseman baseman Wilmer drop the ball as he tried to tag Espinosa and scored before the third out was recorded.

#HornsUp! #Helmetsoff!: Nats 3-0 over Mets in NY

Photo © Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports

"We were fortunate on that one," Williams said.

The insurance run was ultimately uncessary, but it helped the Nationals to their 13th win in sixteen games with the Nats' NL East rivals from New York this season.

For the second time in his six major league campaigns after debutin in 2009, Desmond and the Nationals are headed toward the postseason.

In 2012, the Montreal Expos' 2004 3rd Round pick went 7 for 19 in the five-game NLDS with St. Louis. Desmond told reporters on Saturday that he's just happy the whole team is playing so well.

"I'm really happy with where we're at as a team," Desmond said, and as he explained on Twitter, in his view it's a blessing just to have the opportunities he does.

This game is a blessing and just like in life and faith I strive to get Better Every Day. I'm grateful for all of your support, thank you.

— Ian Desmond (@IanDesmond20) September 14, 2014

Proceed at your own risk.

The Mets have had plenty of poor weeks at the plate this season, but thanks to a few good individual performances, they avoided ranking among the worst offenses in the league over the past seven days. There's still plenty of ugliness in this player meter, but there were a few good things to sprinkle in to avoid the player meter's version of a red wedding.

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Bobby Abreu, OF	--		Back from the minors, Abreu went 2-for-3.
Eric Campbell, 1B			Campbell played a little bit but hit a lot less than a little bit.
Juan Centeno, C		--	He’s on the roster, but Centeno did not make a plate appearance over the past week.
Travis d’Arnaud, C			Coming off a strong week, d’Arnaud had a stinker, hitting just .190/.190/.286.
Matt den Dekker, OF			While he’s been sidelined with an injury for the past several days, den Dekker hit well in the five plate appearances he got earlier in the week.
Lucas Duda, 1B			Duda’s 118 wRC+ for the week was not spectacular, but it was good enough.
Wilmer Flores, SS			It’s probably still too soon to write off Wilmer Flores as a major league hitter, but his performance over the past seven days didn’t make his case any stronger. He hit just .143/.174/.381.
Curtis Granderson, OF			It’s been a long time since Granderson had a week like the one he just had, as he hit .304/.385/.522. He still hasn’t had a good season, but perhaps he can salvage it a bit more before it’s over.
Dilson Herrera, 2B			It was an ugly week at the plate for the 20-year-old.
Juan Lagares, CF			While his 101 wRC+ for the week would typically be just fine given his defensive play, Lagares made a couple of rare mistakes in the outfield.
Daniel Murphy, 2B			Back from the disabled list, Murphy hit just .111/.200/.111. That’s not good.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF			As was the case the week before, Nieuwenhuis got just seven plate appearances over the past seven days. This time, he went hitless with one walk.
Anthony Recker, C			He started one game and played another, but Recker managed to hit his one home run for the week once again.
Josh Satin, IF			Satin went 0-for-2 with a walk.
Ruben Tejada, SS			Tejada barely played but had a -10 wRC+ when he did.
David Wright, 3B			With his shoulder still not right, Wright’s season officially came to an end. Here’s to a resurgent 2015 season.
Eric Young Jr., OF			Perhaps this biggest anomaly of this mid-September week of meaningless baseball, Young hit .389/.421/.500, a slash line good for a 166 wRC+ over that span. Just don’t be on that happening again.

There are only a few more Mondays worth of Cincinnati Reds links. That's a sad-maker.

C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer posted the latest edition of his BAR this morning, with this one's focus on the sad numerical state of the 2014 Cincinnati Reds.  Their magic (tragic?) number for being eliminated officially from the NL Central race sits at just 1, and he also notes that only a miraculous 11-1 finish to the season could see the Reds finish above .500.  Nothing like a little math to make you grimace at what this season has become just one more time, eh?

Since you enquired (it's Monday, lay off), Rosecrans' colleague John Fay noted that Bryan Priceactually intends to play a few of the September call-ups in the upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs.  None of them have played with any regularity in the two weeks in which they've been in the big league dugout, and I'm convinced you need not look beyond that 11-1 needed finish to understand why.  Finishing .500 doesn't really mean much to you or me, but I suppose it means more to the manager involved in getting there, I guess.  I just wish Price would actually acknowledge that.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman thinks that New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom deserves to be the NL's Rookie of the Year, so he said so with a few awful puns.  There's no denying that deGrom has had a good rookie season and that he's very much in contention, and it's quite possible that the last two weeks of the season will have a large bearing on the eventual finish.  Neither the Mets nor the Reds have had much to play for for weeks aside from awards and future contracts, and while deGrom has ripped off a lengthy scoreless innings streak, Hamilton has scuffled at just .216/.261/.279 in 225 PA since the All Star break.  [Insert bad joke about the speedy Hamilton being caught down the stretch in a race here.]  Also discovered while perusing Billy's splits:  he's hit quite well on the road this year (.293/.310/.398) and rather terribly at home (.219/.281/.332), though that's possibly in large part due to the BABIP difference (.367 on the road, .252 at home).  Rather than look for that mythical LF masher this offseason, I'd prefer if Walt Jocketty targeted a leadoff LF that would allow Billy to hit 2nd or 7th.

Mark Sheldon caught up with Joey Votto for Reds.com, and it seems that Votto still has intentions on playing again before the end of the 2014 season.  This perplexes me more than trying to decipher what text message emojis mean.  We love you, Joey Votto, but I'm not sure there's anyone who really thinks that you playing again in 2014 is the best idea.

If you're on Twitter doing your tweet thing, you should absolutely follow MLBCathedrals for comprehensive awesomeness regarding the history of baseball and its stadiums.  You should also read their collaboration with The Sporting News about the 10 most influential ballparks in baseball history.

The penultimate home series of the season comes against a familiar yet fishy foe.

What's going on with the Marlins?

Since we last saw our friends from Miami, Giancarlo Stanton was brutally injured when he was hit in the face by a fastball. With the way he smashed home runs, got on base, and ran down fly balls in the outfield this year, it's not at all crazy to say that Stanton had one of the best seasons in Marlins history. Heck, his 2014 would be one of the best offensive seasons in Mets history, and our team has been around a lot longer.

The good news is that Stanton will not need surgery to repair his injured face. The slugger is expected to miss the remainder of 2014, but he should be healthy in time for spring training. With Stanton in tow and Jose Fernandez coming back from Tommy John surgery, the Marlins will be expected to contend for a Wild Card spot in 2015.

Who are these guys?

In the short-term, the Stanton injury leaves a large hole Miami's lineup. In the three games since Stanton went down, first baseman Garrett Jones, utility infielder Ed Lucas, and utility outfielder (and Mets nemesis) Reed Johnson have all had starts in right field. Johnson looks like the best option of those three just because of defense, but the Fish are also toying with the idea of moving athletic prospect Enrique Hernandez to center field and shifting Marcell Ozuna to right. No matter what happens, the Miami lineup just isn't as scary with Casey McGehee batting third.

For those who base their MVP vote on the "most valuable to his team" philosophy (as flawed as that may be in my opinion), Stanton would appear to be a no-brainer.

Who's on the mound?

Monday: Jarred Cosart vs. Jacob deGrom

Cosart has been a very interesting rotation piece for the Marlins since they acquired him at the trade deadline in a deal centered around Jake Marisnick. While the gifted outfielder Marisnick would make the Marlins look better for the next two weeks, in the long term, rotation depth is more of a pressing need. Cosart's performance has made the trade look like a good one for the Marlins with a 1.93 ERA since he switched from the American League to the National League. The 24-year-old right-hander has his strikeouts up and his walks down. He looks like he has a bright future in front of him.

You don't need to tell most Mets fans about how bright deGrom's future looks right now. The Stetson alumnus's legend only continued to grow with a brilliant outing against Colorado last week, and the team's enthusiasts are already daydreaming about deGrom and a rejuvinated Matt Harvey leading New York to a playoff berth in 2015.

Tuesday: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Bartolo Colon

Eovaldi looked great in his one start against the Mets this year. He struck out a season high 10 batters while allowing three runs in seven innings. Since then, though, the 24-year-old has been mediocre. For a guy who throws as hard as Eovaldi does and doesn't walk many, you'd expect something better than a 4.29 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, but that's where he is right now. Eovaldi is still quite young and has been hurt by a low strand rate this season, but you'd still like to see him bump up his strikeout rate as he grows up.

Colon is someone who many Mets fans would like to see traded in the offseason, but the one year left on his contract might be the perfect thing to solidify New York's 2015 rotation. With Harvey still waiting to make his post-Tommy John surgery debut and Noah Syndergaard still without a major league start to his credit, the Mets can still use an old guy like Colon who can efficiently go deep into games. His ERA might not be too sexy this season, but his strikeout and walk numbers are better than they were in 2013 when Colon was worth nearly four wins above replacement.

Wednesday: Henderson Alvarez vs. Dillon Gee

The Mets hit Alvarez pretty hard during his last start against the Mets, so naturally an oblique injury was to blame. After missing a turn in the rotation, the right-hander returned to action to throw a gem against the Phillies last Friday, and now he's looking to continue get back to dominating the Mets. Alvarez allowed just two runs in his first three starts against New York in 2014, but his last two haven't gone nearly as well. Nevertheless, it's been a great campaign for Alvarez, who looks like he could eat innings for Miami for years to come.

There's not much to say about Gee that hasn't been said already. He threw another "just okay" start against the Nationals on Friday, and he's been moderately effective since the start of August. That's all nice, but Gee continues to look like a very low-upside pitcher right now. Considering how he has pitched over the last two seasons, it's hard to imagine him being anything other than a back-of-the-rotation starter in the future. That makes him expendable when you consider the abundance of more exciting arms in the Mets' system.

Prediction: Mets sweep the Marlins!

What about some highlights?

Jenrry Mejia celebrated the Mets' last win over the Marlins in his typical emphatic fashion. Cut it out, Jenrry! There are children watching! Why can't he just act more mature like Mariano Rivera?

It's not that this fan didn't make a nice catch, but he could have just let the ball go and walked back to pick it up a few innings later.

Apparently Mets fans would rather disguise themselves than show their true colors in public these days.

Make sure you check out FanDuel.com for fun, one-day fantasy leagues!

To the surprise of very few, it appears as though both general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins will return to the Mets in 2015.

Andy Martino of the Daily News says that general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins will both return to their roles with the Mets in 2015. A formal announcement will be made at the conclusion of the season.

Sources: #Mets plan to announce Alderson, Collins status at end of season. Both expected to return http://t.co/KAfxqwJnt8

— Andy Martino (@MartinoNYDN) September 15, 2014

The Mets hold an option for Alderson next year, while Collins will be in the final season of the two-year extension he signed in September 2013. It appeared that Alderson was close to signing his own extension last month to stay with the Mets beyond 2015, but nothing official has been announced.

The 66-year-old Mets GM praised his manager on Monday afternoon during a visit to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

"I think he’s done a good job. Throughout the season, we’ve had some issues that we’ve had to deal with. He has handled them very well. We have seen the growth of our young players, especially in the pitching area. And we have played well the last—really, if we go back to even before the All-Star break. So he has done an excellent job."

Collins was hired by Alderson shortly after he replaced Omar Minaya as general manager after the 2010 season. The Mets have yet to enjoy a winning record under their guidance, compiling a 297-339 (.467) mark since the start of 2011.

The Mets' GM and manager appear to be sticking around for at least one more season.

The New York Mets appear to be keeping general manager Sandy Alderson and field manager Terry Collins around for 2015, as the club is likely to make an announcement regarding their status at season's end, per Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Collins is already locked up through next season, though the team is expected to announce his return. The club also holds an option on Alderson for next season, but it is not guaranteed. Martino reports that it is more likely Alderson is extended than the team just exercising his one-year option.

Both Alderson and Collins joined the Mets organization prior to the 2011 season, and though success on the field has been limited, the franchise is clearly in a much better place talent-wise than it was three years ago. Overall, the team has gone 297-339 under the pair's leadership.

Alderson, particularly, has been hamstrung by the Mets' constant ownership woes and the lack of available funds, though he has still managed to make a number of generally favorable moves such as trading away R.A. Dickey, which netted the franchise a solid coup that includes their catcher of the future (Travis d'Arnaud) and a potential top-tier pitcher (Noah Syndergaard).

The Mets should enter next season with a decent chance of contending for at least a Wild Card spot, and could wind up being a popular sleeper pick for next year. The club will finally get Matt Harvey back from Tommy John, adding to an already strong and extremely deep rotation. The Mets should also benefit from continued development from d'Arnaud, Wilmer Flores, and Dilson Herrera, as well as a healthy David Wright.

Jacob deGrom continued his storybook season Monday night, beginning his start against the Marlins with eight straight strikeouts to tie MLB's modern-era record.

New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom further padded his National League Rookie of the Year resume against the Marlins on Monday night. The right-hander started the game with eight consecutive strikeouts, tying the modern-era record, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Astros starter Jim Deshaies had previously set the record in an outing against the Dodgers on Sept. 23, 1986.

The 26-year-old deGrom continues to impress for the Mets after seemingly coming out of nowhere to vie for the NL's Rookie of Year award. He entered Monday with a 2.62 ERA and 2.88 FIP over 127⅓ innings pitched in 2014. He struck out 121 batters and walked just 39 in 20 starts, allowing only seven home runs.

Never a top prospect due to his advanced age and atypical development path (he played shortstop in college), deGrom has been one of the NL's best starters this season. He has pitched at least six innings in 10 consecutive starts and given up more than three earned runs just once over that span (and more than one run only three times).

His ability to garner whiffs in bunches has grown even more impressive as the year has gone on. He came into Monday's outing with the 13th-best strikeout rate in the NL (min. 120 IP), ranking ahead of heralded starters such as Jordan Zimmermann and Adam Wainwright.

With his performances only improving over the last couple months, deGrom has become a frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year along with Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton. The speedy Hamilton has hit .259/.297/.368 with 39 extra-base hits and 56 steals, while also playing solid defense in center field for Cincinnati.

But deGrom has a strong case on his own, with the Mets hurler posting a 1.84 ERA with more than four times as many strikeouts as walks in the season's second half entering the game Monday.

For the Mets, deGrom's emergence provides hope for the future as well, especially with Matt Harvey set to return in 2015 and fellow youngster Zack Wheeler making strides in his second taste of big league action this season. Add in deGrom and top prospect Noah Syndergaard, and the Mets have the makings of a stellar young rotation in the years ahead.

And for this season, at least, deGrom is making a persuasive case to be named the NL's top newcomer. If he pitches like he did Monday night over his last couple starts, it will be hard to argue against him.

Although an MRI showed a mild strain of his right rotator cuff, reliever Vic Black surprisingly will not be shut down for the season.

Just a week removed from a stint on the disabled list due to a herniated disk in his neck, Mets reliever Vic Black is being temporarily shut down again. The right-hander underwent an MRI on Monday and was diagnosed with a mild strain in his right rotator cuff.

Although there are only eleven games remaining in the 2014 season following Monday night's contest against the Marlins, the Mets will not be putting an end to Black's year. At least not yet, according to general manager Sandy Alderson, who says that Black will take five-to-six days off from throwing.

"It's conceivable he won't pitch again this season. We're not shutting him down completely. It's possible that, with a little rest, he'll be able to pitch again. But he won't pitch if that puts him in jeopardy in any way."

Black made just two appearances since being activated off the 15-day disabled list on September 8, allowing two runs in two innings. His velocity, usually in the mid-90s, was noticeably down in his last outing on Saturday, prompting Black and the club to have the MRI done. The 26-year-old has been a key cog in New York's bullpen since his recall in mid-May, posting a 2.60 ERA in 41 appearances.

Jacob deGrom struck out the first eight batters he faced, but the Mets went on to lose.

After Jacob deGrom tied the major league record by striking out the first eight batters he faced, the Mets went on to lose to the Marlins in a see-saw affair. Though they had a two-run lead going into the seventh inning, deGrom gave up three runs in that frame before the Mets answered with three of their own in the bottom half. Unfortunately, the Marlins scored three in the top of the eighth, all of which were charged to Jeurys Familia.

In total, deGrom struck out thirteen and walked one. Along with the team’s comeback in the bottom of the seventh, that was the highlight of the game.

GameThread Roll Call

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