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Nats Again Come Back To Stymie The Mets
The Nationals' Ronnie Belliard is greeted by first base coach Jerry Morales after his three-run homer in the fifth inning gave Washington the lead for good.
(By Ricky Carioti -- The Washington Post)
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With a three-game lead over last-place Florida, Acta is managing each game as if he's in the race -- turning to eight relievers last night, playing matchups against Mets Manager Willie Randolph before the late innings arrive. Monday night, he had to remind his players that the team in the opposite dugout was in a pennant race, and it was their duty to provide the stiffest competition possible. Last night, there were no reminders.
"They already have grasped the concept that it's a nine-inning ballgame," Acta said. "Don't panic."
The panic, by now, is left for the visitors, who have one more game at RFK to try to end this slide. To do that, they will have to get far better pitching.
Handed leads of 4-0 and 5-1, Maine allowed the Nationals to peck away. But even when Washington reliever Winston Abreu, who hadn't pitched in six days, allowed two runs in the fifth to put the Mets up 7-3, there had to be some uneasiness in the Mets' dugout, because there is uneasiness throughout the clubhouse.
Then came the fifth. Maine gave up RBI singles to Wily Mo Pe¿a and Austin Kearns to make it 7-5. But it grew humiliating when Belliard smoked the first pitch he saw deep to left field.
"I was just trying to hit a fly ball," Belliard said.
It sailed out, and somehow the Nationals led 8-7. After D'Angelo Jimenez's pinch-hit homer off reliever Scott Schoeneweis in the sixth -- another sign the Mets appear doomed this week -- it was left to Cordero to protect a two-run lead in the ninth.
He quickly erased the first two batters, striking out Carlos Beltran and getting Lastings Milledge to line out. But then, some problems: two-out singles to Shawn Green, Paul Lo Duca and Jeff Conine, the last of which made it 9-8.
"I felt good," Cordero said. "I just . . . I don't know."
That, precisely, could be the sentiment from the Mets' clubhouse. Cordero fell behind Gotay 3-0, but then fed him fastballs. He fouled off two at 3-2, but then ran the last one past him at 90 mph. With that, he celebrated two straight games to impact the race.
"For us," Cordero said, "it's a pride thing."
