Nationals 7, Mets 2
WASHINGTON - Left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez, aided by some stellar defense, allowed two runs in six innings as the Washington Nationals beat Matt Harvey and the New York Mets 7-2 on Monday in the first of a three-game set.
The first-place Nationals (50-41) extended their lead to three games over the second-place Mets (48-45), who have lost their last three games to Washington after going 4-15 against the Nationals in 2014.
New York was coming off a 3-1 win in 18 innings on Sunday in St. Louis despite leaving 25 runners on base. But the Mets fell to 1-3 in a string of 10 games in a row against teams in first place.
Gonzalez (7-4), who gave up six hits and two walks, was making his first start since July 10 at Baltimore and just his third this month. But he has now won three of his last four starts while giving up just four runs in that stretch.
He was able to get the better of Harvey (8-7), who has allowed 10 runs in his last three starts. The right-hander entered the game with an ERA of 0.68 in his career against Washington, but he allowed five runs (four earned) and five hits with four walks in seven innings on a night the game time temperature was 94 degrees.
Matt Thornton threw a scoreless seventh for the Nationals.
Casey Janssen came on in the eighth for the Nationals, and he also benefited from strong defense as right fielder Bryce Harper caught a liner off the bat of second baseman Wilmer Flores for the first out.
Then catcher Jose Lobaton made a fine catch against the railing near the Mets dugout on a pop foul hit by left fielder John Mayberry, Jr. The third out of the inning came when Janssen deflected a ball hit up the middle by center fielder Juan Lagares, and the Nationals got a force at second to end the inning.
Washington shortstop Ian Desmond, who entered the contest with an average of .096 in his last 15 games, hit a two-run homer in the eighth against Alex Torres to give the Nationals a 7-2 lead.
Closer Drew Storen pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation for the Nationals, who are 27-18 at home this season and 24-15 against teams in the National League East.
Lagares had two hits and scored a run. Washington second baseman Danny Espinosa had two hits and scored twice and Clint Robinson, the first baseman, had two hits and two RBIs.
Harvey entered the game having thrown 16 scoreless innings in a row against the Nationals. But the streak did not last long as third baseman Yunel Escobar had an RBI single in the first to score Espinosa, who had reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a walk to Harper.
Harper scampered home to make it 2-0 after Escobar got caught in a rundown for the second out as he tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt by Harvey.
The Nationals scored three more in the third to make it 5-0 against Harvey as Robinson had a two-run double. Robinson scored on the second error of the game by third baseman Daniel Murphy.
The Nationals had not scored in their previous 16 innings against starting pitchers -- the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke -- this past weekend.
The Mets cut the lead to 5-2 in the fourth as Harvey had a two-out, two-run bloop single to right after the Nationals intentionally walked catcher Anthony Recker, who was hitting .140, to get to Harvey.
The Mets had a good chance to take an early lead but Escobar made a nice diving play down the line and threw out Mayberry for the final out in the first with runners on second and third.
New York was also robbed in the fifth as center fielder Michael A. Taylor made a fine running catch on the warning track on a ball hit by first baseman Eric Campbell for the third out with two runners on base.
NOTES: Mets RHP Jacob deGrom (9-6, 2.14) will try to build on his All-Star success when he pitches Tuesday in Washington. He will face RHP Joe Ross (2-1, 2.66), who has been with Triple-A Syracuse after making three starts earlier this season for Washington. ... The Nationals called up RHP Abel de Los Santos from Double-A Harrisburg on Monday and sent RHP Blake Treinen to Triple-A Syracuse one day after he gave up four runs in the ninth to the Dodgers. The Nationals also transferred OF Jayson Werth (wrist) to the 60-day disabled list to make room for de Los Santos on the 40-man roster. ... The Mets called up C Anthony Recker from Triple-A Las Vegas and sent C Johnny Monell to Las Vegas. Recker was in the starting lineup Monday, hitting eighth. ... Mets RHP Matt Harvey entered Monday with an ERA of 0.68 in his career against Washington in six starts.