Game 124: Mets vs. Nationals @ RFK Stadium

In his first start since throwing 130 pitches, El Duque aims to earn yet another win for the Mets.

The Good: Although Wily Mo Pena made a nice play to lead off the game and rob Reyes of at least a triple, Castillo and Wright teamed up to put the Mets ahead early. Castillo walked, Wright singled, and Beltran hit a sac fly to move both runners up. Shawn Green also had a nice backhand at first to lead off the game. Hernandez then got some two out help when Austin Kearns was called out after El Duque drilled him in the back (revenge for Kearns drilling him in the ankle?); the official ruling was that Kearns was running out of the baseline. After giving up a bomb to Wily Mo Pena in the fourth inning, Hernandez battled through seven innings and left with a chance to earn the win (thanks to Beltran's game tying homer in the sixth). This time, unlike in the past, the Met offense came through. Castillo led off the eighth with a single and moved to third on Wright's bomb of a dobule. Beltran was then intentionally walked and the Mets took a two-run lead with a Shawn Green single. Marlon Anderson would hit a double to deep right to score two more runs and would end up on third. In the ninth, Beltran would tack on two more runs with another blast to right field. Jorge Sosa and Pedro Feliciano would close out the final two innings.

The Bad: Wright's 15th error. Sandy Alomar also looked terrible at the plate, although he did gun out a potential base stealer.

Overall: A successful road trip, series sweep, and the Mets earn their 70th win to go 17 games over .500 for the first time all season.

Notes: Prior to the game, the Mets placed Damion Easley on the disabled list and expect him to miss the rest of the season. The Mets now have three of the top five pitchers in the league with the lowest batting averages against.

Two Cents: Suffice it to say that Luis Castillo has become the perfect addition alongside Jose Reyes.

Final Score: Mets 8, Nationals 2. Record: 70-53.