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Redding, four-run seventh propels Nationals past Mets

May 15, 2008 - 3:46 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) - The New York Mets could do little against Tim Redding. The Washington Nationals had a field day against struggling reliever Aaron Heilman.

Redding allowed just one run in six solid innings and Cristian Guzman capped a four-run seventh inning with a two-run single off Heilman as the Nationals defeated the Mets, 5-3, on Wednesday.

Jesus Flores and Felipe Lopez added RBI singles in the decisive seventh and Ryan Zimmerman homered for the second straight night for the Nationals, who have won two of the first three games of a four-game series that concludes Thursday.

Brian Schneider homered and drove in a pair of runs for the Mets, who wasted a strong performance by emergency starter Claudio Vargas.

Redding (5-3) has won three straight road starts for the first time in his career after surrendering just one run and two hits, including a fifth-inning home run to Schneider. The righthander walked two, struck out four and retired the first nine batters he faced.

"You can feel comfortable with what you're doing with each pitch, but with a lineup like that you can never get too comfortable," Redding said.

The 30-year-old Redding earned the victory thanks to the seventh-inning rally that began when Vargas walked Elijah Dukes with one out. Heilman relieved Vargas and got Wily Mo Pena on a slow grounder as Dukes moved to second.

With Dukes running on the pitch, Flores lined a run-scoring single to left field. Pinch hitter Willie Harris walked and Lopez grounded an RBI single to right field to give Washington a two-run lead. Guzman grounded a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-1.

"The key at-bat of the game," Nationals manager Manny Acta said of Flores' tie-breaking single. "What an at-bat for the kid that was just playing (Class) A ball a couple of years ago. I can't say enough about that kid."

Flores was in the Mets' system before being claimed by the Nationals in the Rule V draft.

"After four years with the Mets, I was thinking of one day being a catcher for them," Flores said. "Everything changed. That's baseball."

Heilman, who was again booed loudly as he departed, has allowed six of eight inherited runners to score this season and saw his ERA rise to 5.82. A bulk of Heilman's troubles have come against the Nationals, including a grand slam by Lopez on April 24.

"It's frustrating when you can't hold the game where it is," Heilman said. "Not exactly smooth sailing this year. So you try not to think too much about it. Just try to come back tomorrow and do it again.'"

Called up from the minors on Tuesday, Vargas (0-1) was charged with two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings. The Mets were in need for a spot starter due to a rainout last Friday and decided on Vargas.

Vargas was signed to a minor league contract after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of spring training.

"He did an outstanding job," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It's just a shame we weren't able to put together any type of attack."

Vargas left a sixth-inning pitch up in the strike zone to Zimmerman, who hit a mammoth home run off the facing the of the mezzanine deck in left field to tie the game at 1-1.

"I never like to say I got all of it, but I hit it pretty good," said Zimmerman, who has two homers in as many games after going 154 at-bats without one.

Saul Rivera allowed an RBI groundout to Schneider in the seventh. Jon Rauch, the fourth Washington pitcher, allowed an RBI single to Carlos Beltran in the eighth but recorded the final four outs for his eighth save.