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, 2014Adam 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, 20146-0 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, 2014The 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, 20144. 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, 2014Denard 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, 2014The 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