• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Santana on the spot as Mets fight for playoffs

Sep 18, 2008 - 10:16 AM NY Mets (84-67) at Washington (58-94) 7:10 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- After their historic September collapse last season, the New York Mets made the biggest splash of the offseason, bringing in two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana.

The result? Santana hasn't lost since June 28 - a span of 14 starts over nearly three months. Yet Santana is nowhere to be found in the Cy Young discussion and the Mets have the exact same record through 151 games that they did a year ago. On Thursday, the ace lefthander will try to keep the Mets afloat in the National League East as they face the Washington Nationals.

Santana (13-7, 2.70 ERA) looks to continue his strong second half as the Mets try to salvage a split in this four-game series. After dropping the first two games, the Mets rebounded on Wednesday - but even that victory was in doubt until the final out. They held an 8-2 lead in the sixth, but the Nationals gradually whittled their deficit against the shaky New York bullpen.

The Nationals had the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but the Mets survived when closer Luis Ayala struck out pinch hitter Roger Bernadina to end the game.

Santana may be unbeaten in his last 14 starts, but he's only picked up six victories in that span and has just 13 all season, despite an ERA and WHIP that rank near the top of the major leagues. Sometimes he hasn't gotten enough run support; often his bullpen has thrown away leads. The Mets - who at this point last season were on the verge of dropping six of their final seven games as a postseason berth slipped away - are a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies (85-67) in the NL East.

Santana faces a Nationals team that has defeated him once. Santana is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in four career starts against Washington, striking out 22 in 29 innings, while walking three.

Countering for the Nationals is righthander Tim Redding (10-9, 4.54). The 30-year-old was nearly unhittable the last time he faced the Mets, holding them to one run and two hits over six innings in a 5-3 victory on May 14 at Shea Stadium.

Then again, Redding has also been a great help to the Mets over the last month. Twice in his last five starts, he has helped the Nationals defeat the Phillies.