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Logan, Pena lead Nationals past Mets

Sep 18, 2007 - 4:29 AM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Wily Mo Pena had two hits and drove in two runs, including the go-ahead RBI, and Nook Logan had three hits and scored three runs to lead the Washington Nationals past the New York Mets, 12-4, on Monday night.

It was the fourth straight defeat for the National League East-leading Mets, who committed six errors in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia and made four more - including two in a ghastly four-run sixth in this one.

With the loss, the Mets (83-66) lead is now 2 1/2 games over Philadelphia (81-69). The Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 13-11, on Monday night.

New York is keenly aware of their shrinking lead.

"It needs to turn around quickly or we're going to be going home," Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca said. New York took a quick 4-0 lead, but Washington came back to score 12 unanswered runs.

"A lot of laughing - a lot of joyous people in the dugout when we went up 4-0," Lo Duca said. "We need to play all nine innings or go home - bottom line."

The Nationals scored four runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning off starter Brian Lawrence. The righthander, who retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, allowed one-out singles to Ryan Zimmerman and Pena and a walk to Austin Kearns to load the bases.

Ronnie Belliard's infield single scored Zimmerman and Robert Fick's single scored Pena to cut the deficit to 4-2. Brian Schneider's double scored Kearns and Belliard to tie the score at 4-4 and knock Lawrence out of the game.

Logan led off the fifth with a double to left field off Aaron Sele (3-2) and moved to third on a ground out to second. Pena then stroked a two-out single to left, giving the Nationals the lead for good.

In the sixth, after an error by third baseman David Wright put runners on first and second with nobody out, Scott Schoeneweis fielded a bunt by Logan but fired the ball wide of first into right field. Schneider and Lopez both scored, giving the Nationals a 7-4 lead. Pena and Belliard had run-scoring groundouts to cap the scoring in the inning.

"We shot ourselves in the foot a few times," Wright said. "Just throwing balls away, being a little sloppy. Things like that are going to happen. We can't go out there and make four errors. There's a good chance that we're going to lose."

The Nationals scored three more runs in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Logan and a pinch-hit, two-run home run by Ryan Church.

"We're playing the spoiler role," a gleeful Church said.

Jonathan Albaladejo (1-0), the second Washington pitcher, got the win. He worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Tim Redding. Albaladejo was followed by four more Washington relievers who combined to shut down the Mets in the game's final five innings.

Luis Castillo gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. Wright then singled and Carlos Beltran blasted his 30th home run of the season to right field for a 3-0 lead.

Shawn Green homered with one out to right-center in the fourth inning to make it 4-0. It was Green's ninth home run of the season and his first since August 1.

"It's been about as bad as it can get the last four days," Green said. "It's got to turn around (Tuesday). We can't wait too long and have this thing drag out. It's got to end."