Game #135: Nationals 6, Mets 5

Six outs from being dealt their death blow, Washington came alive at the expense of their zombie attackers. *Note from house: this is the first time in Midwestern Met history the phrase "zombie attackers" has been used. Carry on.*

The Nationals put up three runs in the bottom of the 8th as the Mets couldn't finish up the sweep, falling 6-5 on Sunday Night Baseball.

The Bad Stuff:

• Following Jonathon Niese's departure, the usually steady bullpen was victimized from top to bottom. Scott Atchison let a run in in the bottom of the 7th, then Scott Rice and Gonzalez Germen combined to let in the three the Nats used to propel themselves to victory.
• Niese left after just 5.2 innings of two-run, 10-hit ball with a left leg cramp. With injuries to 60% of the starting rotation in August alone, it's probably wise to be cautious about that sort of thing, but it's never a good sight to see.

The Good Stuff:

• Matt den Dekker broke out in a big way, smashing his first-career home run into the upper *ahem* dekker of Nationals Park. He also had a single for his first multi-hit game in the bigs.
• Daniel Murphy capped a great series with a 2-5 night, lacing a double, scoring a run, and driving in two.
• Eric Young went 2-4 with a couple runs and a stolen base.
• Lucas Duda made his first real impact since returning to the team, going 2-4 with two RBIs.

Final Analysis:
It would've been nice to secure the sweep, but with an early game tomorrow afternoon I'm sure the Mets are just glad not to be playing extras again. Congrats to Den Dekker for finding the stands for the first time, and thoughts go to Jon Niese. Hopefully it is just a leg cramp...but given New York's track record don't be surprised to see him in a walking boot. And a sling. And perhaps an iron lung.

MM