Nationals 3 - 2 Mets
Final
  for this game

Mets hope Colon can solve Nationals

Aug 13, 2014 - 2:48 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - After reaching a career milestone last time out, New York Mets hurler Bartolo Colon takes aim at a fourth victory in five starts on Wednesday evening in the middle portion of a three-game set with the Washington Nationals.

Colon won the 200th game of his career on Friday and it was a gem as he topped the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4. The 41-year-old yielded one run on six hits over eight innings, striking out six without giving up a walk.

Colon, who ranks third among active pitchers in wins, became the third Dominican-born pitcher to reach the 200-win mark, joining Juan Marichal (243) and Pedro Martinez (219), and left Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg impressed.

"He hits his spots," said Sandberg. "He pitches it on the corners, he changes speed and it's a hard thing for our hitters to gauge."

The right-handed Colon is 11-9 with a 3.97 earned run average on the year and has gone 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA in four previous meetings with the Nationals, a franchise he made 17 starts for in 2002 and went 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA.

Countering for Washington will be Jordan Zimmermann, who is 7-5 with a 3.06 ERA but with only one victory in his last six starts.

The right-hander beat Philadelphia on Aug. 2 with seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball, then took a no-decision versus the Mets on Thursday. He yielded three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out five without a walk.

Zimmermann, 28, is 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA in 18 career matchups with Mets and faces them for the first time in 2014.

Washington powered its way to a 7-1 victory in last night's opener, connecting on four home runs. One of those was a two-run shot hit by Michael Taylor, who was making his major league debut.

Taylor got the start in right field as Jayson Werth was out of the lineup due to a right shoulder injury.

Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper added two-run homers and Anthony Rendon connected on a solo shot for the Nats, who have won four of their last six and moved five games up on Atlanta for the top spot in the National League East.

Doug Fister rode the power support to his 12th win of the season, scattering seven hits over seven scoreless innings. He won for the seventh time in nine starts, allowing three runs or fewer in each outing.

"This is a team game and I can only do so much," said Fister. "Once I release the ball after that everybody else has control. We're a team here and that's the atmosphere that we set."

Despite the 12-hit attack, Washington's Denard Span went 0-for-5 to see his streak of reaching base safely end at 36 straight games.

Eric Campbell drove in the lone run of the game for the Mets, who had taken three of four from Philadelphia coming into this series. Rafael Montero allowed five runs on seven hits in five-plus innings of work.

"There was a few pitches he left out there," said New York manager Terry Collins about Montero. "But you see he's got the weapons you need to succeed at this level. He's got a good arm and good movement, he's just got to continue to work."

The Nationals have won eight of 10 against the Mets this season and 13 of the past 15 meetings overall. They swept a three-game set in New York from March 31-April 3.






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