Nationals 4 - 0 Mets
Final
  for this game

Strasburg, Nats shut down Mets in series finale

Apr 11, 2012 - 11:33 PM Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Stephen Strasburg outdueled Johan Santana on Wednesday afternoon and the Washington Nationals topped the New York Mets, 4-0, in the finale of a three-game series.

Strasburg (1-0) struck out nine and gave up just two hits and three walks in six innings. He went over 100 pitches for the first time in his career, with 63 of 108 going for strikes.

Twenty-four of those pitches came during the sixth, when Strasburg gave up a walk and a single, but Nats manager Davey Johnson left him in.

"I would have probably had to strangle him to get the ball out of his hand," Johnson joked.

Santana (0-1) took the loss despite allowing just one run on five hits and three walks over five-plus innings while striking out eight. The Mets dropped the last two games of the series after starting the season 4-0.

Strasburg and three other Nats pitchers struck out 15 batters in the three-hit shutout. Nationals batters drew 10 walks for the first time in almost three years and Mets manager Terry Collins was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Larry Vanover during the game.

New York scored two runs on 10 hits in two games without third baseman David Wright, who fractured his right pinky finger on Monday night.

The Mets had a runner past second base just once against Strasburg and all three of their hits were singles.

"The one thing I want is to score more runs," said Collins. "We need to do a better job of that."

The Nationals got the only run they needed in the second inning after Mark DeRosa led off with a single, went to third on Xavier Nady's base hit and scored on a two-out wild pitch by Santana.

They scored once in each of the last three innings after Santana came out.

With one down in the seventh, Ian Desmond doubled and Danny Espinosa walked against Manny Acosta. Ramon Ramirez then walked Ryan Zimmerman and DeRosa to force in a run.

Chad Tracy knocked in a run on a ground out in the eighth after Nady and Flores both singled off Ramirez, and Tim Byrdak walked Flores with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Game Notes

The Nationals went 3-3 on a six-game road trip to start the season and will play the Reds on Thursday in their home opener. It will be their first of 11 straight games in Washington...The Mets will start a three-game series in Philadelphia on Friday...Washington posted 10 walks for the first time since a doing so in a 13-11 loss at Philadelphia on April 27, 2009.






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