|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Livan Hernandez pitched the Mets’ first complete game of the season Tuesday night as New York topped the Washington Nationals 6-1 at Citi Field.
Hernandez scattered nine hits and one walk over his nine innings of work, giving up his only run on an Adam Dunn opposite-field homer in the seventh. Dunn was also responsible for killing Livan’s chance for a no-hitter with a second inning single, making it 7,527 New York Mets games without a no-no.
The Mets got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second on back-to-back doubles by Ramon Martinez and Omir Santos.
With the bases loaded in the third, Fernando Tatis singled just out of the reach of shortstop Cristian Guzman, scoring Angel Pagan. Mets’ prospect Fernando Martinez, fresh up from AAA Buffalo, followed with his first career RBI by beating out what appeared to be a double-play ball, scoring Luis Castillo.
Pagan and Santos saved a run in the fifth. After Josh Bard reached base on a double, Craig Stammen singled to center and Angel Pagan – filling in for the injured Carlos Beltran – came up throwing. Bard slid around Stammen’s bat and Santos tag, but Santos was able to touch Bard’s hand before he could dive back.
Gary Sheffield provided some insurance with his second home run in as many games, an eighth-inning line drive to left off reliever Jason Bergmann that scored Castillo and David Wright.
Bergmann followed with a 76-mph breaking ball that soared over Tatis’ head, prompting warnings to Bergmann and both dugouts. Bergmann wound up hitting Tatis on the arm on a subsequent pitch, but he didn’t get thrown out. Washington manager Manny Acta took care of that, pulling Bergmann from the game.
