Nationals 3 - 0 Mets
Final
  for this game

Haren puts past to rest in mastery of Mets

Sep 12, 2013 - 3:08 AM Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - What a difference a few weeks make.

Dan Haren had one of the shortest outings of his career against the New York Mets his last time out against them, but responded with potentially his best start in a Washington Nationals uniform.

Haren tossed six scoreless innings of one-hit ball in the Nationals' 3-0 win over the Mets in the third test of a four-game set.

Haren (9-13) fanned eight and walked just one for the Nationals, who have won 18 of their last 22 games against the Mets at Citi Field. They're 22-9 over their last 31 tilts overall.

"He pitched a great ball game. He made quality pitches all night long," Washington manager Davey Johnson said of Haren.

The right-hander surrendered seven runs and nine hits over 2 2/3 frames in an 11-3 home loss to New York on Aug 31. Haren was 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA over his last seven tilts coming into that game.

Washington remains six games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the NL's second wild-card spot with 17 to play.

Ryan Zimmerman smacked a solo shot, Anthony Rendon had a two-run double and Rafael Soriano worked a scoreless ninth to tally his 41st save of the season in the triumph.

Zack Wheeler (7-5) allowed a run on eight hits and a walk over seven innings for New York, which has dropped eight of its last 10 contests.

Washington squandered a second-and-third, one-out opportunity in the first and failed to push a runner across with a runner in scoring position with two outs in the fourth and fifth, but Zimmerman led off the sixth and belted an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center to get the Nats on the board.

"I just made that one mistake to Zimmerman," Wheeler said.

The Nationals added insurance in the eighth when Rendon banged a two-out, two- run double off the base of the wall in left-center to make it 3-0.

Game Notes

Mets manager Terry Collins was wearing an NYPD hat during batting practice in honor of those affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 12 years ago ... Haren fired 59 of his 86 pitches for strikes ... Washington was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.






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