Game 79: Nats at Mets

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

NEW YORK — Good afternoon from Citi Field, where tonight the Nationals open a weekend series against the Mets, beginning with an awfully tough matchup against the dynamic Matt Harvey.

The Nats have already gotten a good look at Harvey this season; he beat Stephen Strasburg with an electric performance here back in April. So they know they've got their work cut out for them tonight. They can only hope Ross Detwiler is up to the challenge himself after some recent shaky outings.

Still waiting on the Nationals' lineup, which I don't believe will include Bryce Harper. Though I suppose you never know...

Updates to come...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, Ch. 9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 185
Weather: Chance of storms, 80 degrees, Wind 10 mph out to RF

NATIONALS (39-39)
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
RF Jayson Werth
SS Ian Desmond
LF Roger Bernadina
C Kurt Suzuki
LHP Ross Detwiler

METS (32-43)
LF Eric Young Jr.
2B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
RF Marlon Byrd
1B Josh Satin
C John Buck
CF Juan Lagares
SS Omar Quintanilla
RHP Matt Harvey

UMPIRES
HP Doug Eddings
1B Dana DeMuth (cc)
2B Angel Hernandez
3B Paul Nauert

7:11 p.m. — We are underway on a muggy night in the Big Apple. Matt Harvey starts off Denard Span with a fastball for strike one.

7:15 p.m. — And just like that, Harvey retires the side, striking out Denard Span on a curveball, striking out Anthony Rendon on a slider and getting Ryan Zimmerman (who was identified on the scoreboard here as Jordan Zimmermann) to pop out to end the top of the first.

7:30 p.m. — Harvey vs. this Nats lineup doesn't really seem like a fair fight. He's retired all six batters faced so far, striking out four. Only Zimmerman and Ian Desmond have made contact. Gonna be a battle for these guys all night.

7:42 p.m. — Not to be outdone, Ross Detwiler has been sharp himself through two innings, allowing one hit and one walk. Detwiler has three strikeouts, including Omar Quintanilla to end the bottom of the second, leaving this game scoreless as we move to the third.

7:51 p.m. — Make it 9 up, 9 down for Harvey. Kurt Suzuki did smoke a line drive to left (caught by Eric Young Jr.) and Detwiler impressively battled through a long at-bat before striking out to end the third. The only saving grace at this point: Harvey has thrown 43 pitches, which really isn't that many but is probably still more than you'd expect after three perfect innings.

8:06 p.m. — Make it 12 up, 12 down for Harvey. He did get a big assist from Byrd, who made a fantastic, diving catch of Rendon's sinking liner to right. That could be something we refer back to by the end of the night. Otherwise, the right-hander has been brilliant, striking out six. But give Detwiler credit for going toe-to-toe with him so far. Ross has three scoreless innings in the books, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. Scoreless in the middle of the fourth.

8:20 p.m. — The bad news: The Nats trail 1-0 after the Mets scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth, the byproduct of Ian Desmond's first error in 60 games. It was a tough one, too, with Desmond taking a bad hop off his chest and then having to rush a throw to first, which skipped off LaRoche's glove and ricocheted off Byrd's leg to allow Wright to score. The good news: Detwiler really showed some intestinal fortitude to get out of that inning without anybody else scoring, despite having runners on second and third with nobody out. Of course, one run tonight off Harvey is going to be easier said than done.

8:31 p.m. — Well, there goes the perfect game. In a big way. Desmond crushed an 0-1 pitch off the facade of the second deck in left field for his 14th homer of the season. Just like that, it's a 1-1 game.

8:46 p.m. — So much for any positive momentum off the Desmond homer. Detwiler gave the Mets two runs back in the bottom of the fifth on three hits, including Byrd's double to left and Satin's subsequent single to left. Bernadina had a chance on the second one to throw Byrd out at the plate, but his throw sailed way high. So just like that, the Nats are trailing again, now down 3-1 after five.

8:54 p.m. — And that'll do it for Detwiler, who gets the hook after only five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits while throwing 98 pitches. He just hasn't been the same guy since coming back from the DL, not exactly sure why that is. Meanwhile, not many big-league pitchers have made Anthony Rendon look silly over the last three weeks. But Matt Harvey is not many big-league pitchers, so he did indeed make Rendon look bad striking him out to end the top of the sixth with Span (who tripled) stranded on third. It's still 3-1 Mets as Ross Ohlendorf enters for the Nats in the bottom of the sixth.

9:16 p.m. — Not that he hasn't made everybody in the Nats lineup look bad tonight, but Harvey has really made Werth look bad. Three strikeouts in three at-bats for the veteran right fielder. Harvey has 11 Ks now through seven, with the Mets still leading 3-1 at the stretch.

9:30 p.m. — Josh Satin is killing the Nats. Yes, Josh Satin. He's now 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI. He's given the Mets a 4-1 lead as we move to the eighth. On the bright side, Harvey is done for the night, so the Nats get a crack at the New York bullpen.

9:53 p.m. — I guess that really was a bright side for the Nats, because they just stormed back to tie the game off three Mets relievers. Bernadina singled off David Aardsma. Span doubled off Josh Edgin. Rendon drew a two-out walk off Brandon Lyon. And Zimmerman cleared the bases with a rocket of a double to left-center, maybe the hardest he's hit a ball in weeks. Just like that, this game is tied, 4-4, heading to the bottom of the eighth.

10:10 p.m. — Man, what a pick by LaRoche on Suzuki's bounced throw right up the first-base line, with Young running right in his way. That nifty glovework sends this game to the ninth inning, still tied 4-4.

10:20 p.m. — Ian Desmond, ladies and gentlemen. He just delivered another clutch hit to put the Nats ahead, following up Werth's leadoff double off Bobby Parnell with his own two-bagger. Desmond then scored on Suzuki's sac fly, a big insurance run that gives the Nats a 6-4 lead with Drew Storen entering for the bottom of the ninth (Rafael Soriano has made three straight appearances and is unavailable).

10:30 p.m. — Ballgame. Nats win 6-4, coming back from three runs down for only the second time this season. Clippard gets his 6th win. Storen gets his 2nd save. Desmond gets his 10th game-winning RBI.