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Werth, Nationals hand Mets first loss

Apr 11, 2012 - 5:36 AM Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Jayson Werth went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and the Washington Nationals handed the New York Mets their first loss of the young season, 6-2, in the middle installment of a three-game series.

Ian Desmond started the game with a home run, while Wilson Ramos added two hits, drove in a run and scored another behind Ross Detwiler.

Detwiler (1-0), who beat out John Lannan for the final spot in Washington's starting rotation, earned the win with five innings of two-hit shutout ball.

"That's the way he was in the spring," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said of Detwiler. "He was really dominant in the spring. Last time out he went 65 pitches in five innings."

Dillon Gee (0-1), coming off a team-high 13 wins last season, was tagged for four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

The Mets were without starting third baseman David Wright, who was sidelined because of a fractured finger suffered during Monday's win. Ronny Cedeno got the start in Wright's absence and had three hits, including an RBI double in the eighth.

New York, trying to tie the best start in franchise history after winning its first four games, got off on the wrong foot as Desmond cranked Gee's third pitch into the left-field seats.

"He left the ball inner-half to Desmond, but other than that he threw the ball great," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Gee.

The Mets stranded runners on the corners in their first at-bat, as Detwiler retired Daniel Murphy, Jason Bay and Lucas Duda in succession.

New York did not have another runner reach past first base until the seventh, and by then the Nationals had pushed four more across.

Three came in the sixth, all getting charged to Gee. Ryan Zimmerman reached with a leadoff double and scored on a base hit by Werth, who came around on an error by Murphy. Ramos plated Xavier Nady later in the frame with a line drive double just out of Duda's reach along the warning track in right-center.

Werth, who was 1-for-14 at the plate coming in, singled home Zimmerman again in the seventh for a 5-0 cushion.

Justin Turner put the Mets on the board in the bottom half with an RBI single, but Washington got the run right back on Zimmerman's sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Game Notes

The best start in Mets history occurred in 1985 (5-0)...Wright will not need surgery on his injured finger and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday...Desmond has three career leadoff homers...The Nationals outhit the Mets, 13-7...New York went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position...Wednesday afternoon's rubber match puts Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg against Johan Santana.