Lugo, Mets top Nats to keep pace
NEW YORK -- Rookie right-hander Seth Lugo continued to serve as an unexpected stopper for New York on Sunday night, when he earned the win after allowing one run over a career-high seven innings as the Mets kept pace in the National League wild card race with a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
The Mets (71-66) won the final two games of the three-game series. New York is one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NL's second wild card. The Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2, earlier Sunday.
The Nationals (79-57) lead the Mets by 8 1/2 games in the NL East and are three games ahead of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the second seed in the NL.
Lugo, making his fourth start in place of injured left-hander Steven Matz, allowed six hits and no walks while striking out four in improving to 3-1 and lowering his ERA to 2.19 as a member of the rotation. The 26-year-old, who is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA overall, had a 6.50 ERA in 21 games (14 starts) earlier this season with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Lugo encountered his biggest threat in the first, when he gave up leadoff singles to Trea Turner and Jayson Werth before plunking Anthony Rendon to load the bases with two outs. But Lugo wriggled out of the jam by getting Wilson Ramos to hit into a fielder's choice.
Danny Espinosa homered off Lugo in the second, but he retired 11 straight between the second and the fifth and 17 of the final 19 batters he faced overall.
Curtis Granderson had three RBIs -- via a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer -- for the Mets while Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer.
Rookie right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (2-3), who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in order to give Max Scherzer an extra day of rest, took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings.
The Mets took the lead in the bottom of the first when Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera singled and advanced a base each on a wild pitch by Lopez before Reyes scored on Granderson's sacrifice fly.
Espinosa homered with one out in the second, but the Mets took the lead for good on Granderson's two-run homer in the third. Bruce's two-run, opposite-field homer extended the lead to 5-1 in the sixth.
NOTES: Both the Mets and Nationals wore first-responder hats during batting practice before the Mets' final home game before Sept. 11. The Mets will also wear the hats during batting practice when they visit the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 11. ... With the late start and postgame travel potentially impacted by Tropical Storm Hermine, Nationals RHP Max Scherzer and Mets RHP Bartolo Colon, who are scheduled to pitch against the Braves and Cincinnati Reds, respectively, on Monday afternoon, traveled ahead of their teammates to Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati. ... Mets manager Terry Collins said RHP Jacob deGrom (right forearm) is likely to miss at least two starts. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (sore right elbow) had another successful bullpen session. He could return to the rotation when eligible on Wednesday.