Mets Game Recap: R.A. Dickey Salvages Finale in 3-1 Win

Terry Collins and the Mets turned to their co-ace in R.A. Dickey today in order to stop their three-game skid and get back on track before they head back home to face Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees…and did he ever. The knuckleballer extended his scoreless streak to 24.2 innings today with 7.1 frames of solid work once again, and was aided with some timely offense from the middle of the lineup.

Mets Offensive Highlights:

After only being able to muster three hits in last night’s loss, the Mets broke out a 10-hit attack against Chien-Ming Wang and the Nationals. Daniel Murphy busted his 0-for-17 slump with two hits today, with David Wright, Lucas Duda, and Omar Quintanilla also collecting two hits each. Jason Bay was supposed to be in today’s lineup, but was scratched with flu-like symptoms. Ike Davisdrew another walk, but went 0-for-3 with one strikeout, dropping his season average to .161.

The first scoring rally didn’t happen for either team until the top of the 5th. Kirk Nieuwenhuis led the inning off with a single, then Duda hit his team-leading 10th homer of the year to right center field to give Dickey and the Mets a 2-0 lead. The New York lead expanded in the top of the 7th when David Wright led the frame off with a walk, then eventually came around to score on a Daniel Murphy single.

Nationals Offensive Highlights:

R.A. Dickey did a great job of keep the Nationals at bay, holding the offense to only five hits. Ryan Zimmerman was the only standout performer on the day, as he registered two hits, including a solo home run in the 9th to spoil the shutout for the Mets pitching staff. Michael Morse and Ian Desmond continued their solid series against New York with a hit each, and Jhonatan Solano added in a hit as well.

Pitching Highlights:

Chien-Ming Wang did not pitch badly, but on a day in which Dickey continued his scoreless streak, he didn’t pitch well enough to beat the league’s win leader. Wang lasted 5.1 innings and gave up 8 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs while striking out only one. Yup, it was Ike Davis. Tom Gorzelanny came in to eat up 2.2 innings and strike out 4 hitters, but gave up the insurance run in the 7th to Murphy.

R.A. Dickey continues to shine as one of MLB’s biggest first half surprises. En route to his 9th win of the season, he threw 7.1 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 8 more strikeouts. Bobby Parnell came in to get the last two outs of the 8th inning, and Frank Francisco shut the door for his 15th save, bringing the Mets back to within 1.5 games of Washington with a 32-26 record.

Worth Noting:

After a lot of criticism over the last day or two about his slump in the field and at the plate, Daniel Murphy broke out with two hits and an error-less game. Ike Davis continued to struggle at the plate, but that’s not really anything new right now. Jason Bay was once again supposed to officially come back from the DL with an appearance today, but he’s somehow catching the flu in June. R.A. Dickey continues to make his case to start the All-Star game, and Lucas Duda did his job in the clean up spot today.

Probable Pitchers Friday:

The first installment of this year’s Subway Series kicks off tomorrow night in the Bronx. Johan Santana (3-2, 2.38 ERA) will take the mound for the first time since his no-hitter last week. He will be opposing Hiroki Kuroda (4-6, 3.82 ERA), as he tries to continue his solid pitching performances of late. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.