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Hernandez goes distance, Mets beat Nationals 6-1

May 27, 2009 - 3:30 AM By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- Livan Hernandez actually had a little left at the end, too.

"Maybe 20 more pitches," he said.

Hernandez kept working out of trouble, throwing the New York Mets' first complete game of the season while shutting down Ryan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals 6-1 Tuesday night.

Hernandez (4-1) warmed up with 85 pitches in the bullpen, then tossed another 127 to win. If he was struggling, it never showed. As usual, he blew bubbles on the mound.

"It looked easy, but it's not," he said. "It's a lot of pitches."

Hernandez gave up nine hits in going the distance for the 46th time in his career, most recently in May 2008 with Minnesota.

Zimmerman's streak of safely reaching base ended at 43 games. He went 0 for 4 and struck out twice, falling three games short of the franchise record set by Rusty Staub for Montreal from 1969-70.

Zimmerman quickly left the clubhouse after the game.

No Mets starter had even reached the eighth inning this year, and Hernandez delivered on a drizzly night when New York trotted out a depleted lineup. The Mets put All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes and outfielder Ryan Church on the disabled list before the game, and plan to hold out Carlos Beltran until the weekend because of a bruise below his knee.

Highly touted Fernando Martinez got an RBI in his major league debut and Gary Sheffield hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to break it open. A day after umpires looked at replays to verify he'd homered, Sheffield left no doubt with the 504th of his career.

"I have to just keep doing my job," Sheffield said.

On his first pitch after giving up the homer, reliever Jason Bergmann threw a pitch over Fernando Tatis' head. Plate umpire Dan Iassogna warned the teams against further beanballs, and Nationals manager Manny Acta came out to discuss it.

Tatis was nicked in the left shoulder later in that at-bat and calmly took first base. Hernandez plunked pinch-hitter Justin Maxwell in the leg in the eighth, and there were no problems.

The Mets backed Hernandez with three double plays, and catcher Omir Santos won a synchronized diving match with Josh Bard to tag him out at the plate.

Hernandez, listed as 34 years old, walked one and struck out six.

The 127 pitches - 83 for strikes - were the most for the Mets since his half brother, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, threw 130 in 2007 at Pittsburgh.

"That's kind of the culture of him and his brother," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "They really love pitching and have tremendous instincts. I don't think anything fazes him."

Said Acta: "Whenever he had to make a big pitch, he did."

"We hit the ball hard," he said. "He had these guys overthinking."

The Nationals lost for the 11th time in 13 games.

Adam Dunn singled for his 1,000th hit, then cracked his 15th home run in the seventh. His drive to left was only the second opposite-field shot in 22 games at Citi Field - Washington's Nick Johnson also did it on April 24.

Craig Stammen (0-1) lost in his second big league game. He did, however, get his first hit in the majors.

Bard tried to score from second on Stammen's two-out single in the fifth. Santos missed the tag but Bard slid wide past the plate, and they both dived for home. Santos tagged Bard inches short.

Santos and Ramon Martinez doubled in the second for a 1-0 lead. The Mets made it 3-0 in the third on Fernando Tatis' run-scoring ground single and 20-year-old Fernando Martinez's RBI forceout.

Notes: Sheffield tied Eddie Murray for 24th place on the career home run list. ... Fernando Martinez went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. ... Washington RHP Daniel Cabrera, 0-5 with a 5.85 ERA, is aware of speculation he might be waived. He said he probably would not accept an assignment to the minors. ... Injured Mets LHP Oliver Perez made his first rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo, giving up one run and three hits in 4 1-3 innings.