Willie Harris made a game-ending
diving catch to yet again thwart a Mets rally, well-traveled Willy
Taveras drove in a career-high four runs and the Washington Nationals
beat New York 4-3 on Saturday.
"It was a lot of tension on both sides of the field," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said, exhaling in the clubhouse afterward.
John Lannan (1-1) teetered on the
brink of disaster, giving up three runs in five erratic innings, before
Tyler Clippard set down nine of the 10 batters he faced. Matt Capps
came on to close it out for Washington, but he sure made it an
adventure.
After a leadoff single by Jose Reyes,
Capps loaded the bases with a pair of walks. Rod Barajas came in to
pinch hit with two outs and lined a hard shot to left, but Harris came
charging in on a dead run to snare the ball just before it hit the
outfield grass.
"Once he hit it, my mind was made up — 'Willie, go make this happen,'" Harris said.
It was the third time Harris helped
save a game against the Mets. In 2007, with Atlanta, he leaped above
the wall to rob Carlos Delgado of a tying homer in the ninth inning,
and two years ago he robbed Ryan Church of extra bases with a diving
grab in the ninth inning to maintain Washington's 1-0 lead.
"Anybody else in that situation, there's a good chance the ball falls in," Barajas said. "They put him in the right spot."
Barajas whirled around in frustration
when the ball was caught, while Capps pumped his arm to celebrate his
second save of the season. The Nationals poured from the dugout, with
Taveras joining in the party.
The speedy outfielder singled and
tripled in his first start for the Nationals, who signed him to a minor
league contract in February after Oakland let him go. The A's had
acquired him about a week earlier from Cincinnati, making it three
teams in less than a month.
"I don't take anything personally.
I'm glad I'm here," said Taveras, who showed up at camp unsure whether
he'd even make the roster. "Every day, I'm just trying to do my best.
Anything you can do to help the team win games."
The intrepid New York fans who came
out on a chilly, windy April afternoon didn't have much to cheer about
besides Reyes, and even that stopped once the game began.
The All-Star shortstop was in the
lineup for the first time since May 20, after a stubborn hamstring
injury last season required surgery and a hyperactive thyroid kept him
out part of spring training. He went 1-for-4 from the leadoff spot and
didn't fare much better in the field, committing an error in the sixth
when he whiffed on a liner right at him.
"I feel happy I played a whole game
without a problem," Reyes said. "I was a little shaky in the field. I
just missed that ball. I should catch that ball, no question."
Mets starter Oliver Perez (0-1) was
his typical, mercurial self, setting Washington down in order in the
first before running into trouble in the second. He loaded the bases
with two outs for Taveras, who scorched a liner into left-center to
make it 2-0.
New York loaded the bases in its
half of the inning, and Henry Blanco drove in a run with a sacrifice
fly before Perez hit an RBI blooper that evened the score.
The Mets loaded the bases again the
next inning, but the kind of bad luck that seemed to follow them all
last season struck again. Jeff Francoeur nubbed a pitch into the dirt
in front of the plate, and catcher Ivan Rodriguez stepped on home
before firing to first for the rare 2-2-3 double play. Gary Matthews
Jr. ended the inning with a ground out to first.
Taveras added his two-run single in
the fourth that made it 4-2, and although the Mets managed a run in the
fifth, they couldn't figure out the Nationals bullpen.
"I did everything I can, but I have
to be very happy with that," said Perez. "I feel very good about the pitching, but we didn't win."
Notes
Washington 3B Ryan Zimmerman
left the game as a precaution in the sixth inning with a tight left
hamstring. Riggleman said he may give him a couple days off. … The
Nationals plan to activate former Mets RHP Livan Hernandez to start the
series finale Sunday. … The Mets optioned SS Ruben Tejada to Triple-A
Buffalo to create a roster spot for Reyes.