On the Mets beat

9:28 -- After a one-out walk to Aaron Boone, Santana got Lopez to ground into an inning-ending double play. With the Mets' bullpen getting severely overworked in Chicago, Santana going deep is precisely what they needed. He's likely finished and it appears Duaner Sanchez is coming in for the eighth.

9:19 -- Mets gown down quietly in their half of the seventh and it's time to get off your couch and stretch.

9:12 -- Santana is in a groove. He's set down seven in a row and that's two straight innings where he's retired the side in order.

9:08 -- Good sign for the Mets with Beltran reaching base for the third time courtesy of a leadoff single to begin the sixth. Ray King relieved Redding and Church hit one off the end of the bat to third that had plenty of english on it. Zimmerman fielded it and threw wildly to first, allowing Beltran to score all the way from first. Delgado missed another chance for a gift RBI and popped up to third. Pagan picked him up, though. He bounced a dribbler to King and his throw to first hit Pagan, plating Church from third. Pagan showed guts by stealing second and third with Schneider up and scored on Schneider's ground ball to short. Santana doubled to right for his second two-bagger of the game to chase King. Saul Rivera came in and got Reyes on the first pitch he threw for the final out. Mets 5, Nationals 2.

8:49 -- First 1-2-3 inning of the night for Santana.

8:44 -- Mets put two on with one out on consecutive walks. Nationals couldn't get two on Reyes' weak tapper to shortstop and the Mets had runners on first and third. Castillo hit a dribbler that Guzman fielded but Castillo beat the throw to first and Schneider scored. It was the first hit with runners in scoring position for the Mets tonight. They were 0-for-5 before Castillo came through. Wright grounds to short for the final out. Mets 2, Nationals 2.

8:27 -- They booted the ball around in Chicago but the Mets are playing good D tonight in D.C. Church made a nice leaping catch in front of the electronic wall in right for the first out and the Mets robbed Kearns' bid for a hit again. Milledge still hasn't done much against his old mates and grounded into a 4-3 put out. Pena got his second hit of the night when he broke his bat, but got enough of the ball to drive it to left. Nieves followed with a bleeder to right that dropped in and Redding had a chance to help himself out for the second straight time. He came through this time with a long fly to center that one-hopped the wall and chased home two runs. Lopez ended the inning with a hard grounder to second. FYI: Santana is up to 69 pitches through four. Nationals 2, Mets 1.

8:17 -- There are some pitchers you feel you want to watch pitch every time he takes the mound. That was the case with Dwight Gooden during his wonder years with the Mets. With that, here's my question: Are Santana's starts Must See TV for you yet? Do you find yourself moving things (like errands or checking your kid's homework) around on those days the Mets' new ace pitches?

8:15 -- Wright struck out on a nasty curveball to start the fourth and Beltran walked. With Beltran running, Church grounded to first for the second out bringing up, guess who? Yup, Delgado. He hit s screamer up the middle but right into the shift for the third out.

8:06 -- Santana struck out Lopez before Guzman singled to left just over the outstretched glove of Reyes for his second hit of the night. Zimmerman squibbed a 3-and-2 pitch to second with Guzman in motion and was thrown out at first. But Santana escaped without allowing any damage, catching Johnson looking at a 94 mph fastball. So far, Santana doesn't have great command of his off-speed pitches, but he's doing enough to keep the Nationals at bay.

7:58 -- Former National Brian Schneider got a smattering of applause when his name was announced to start the third. He struck out swinging. Then Santana showed us he can handle the bat as well as the glove, lacing a pitch over Milledge's head in center for a double, his second extra base hit of the season. But the Mets couldn't bring Santana in as Reyes flied to left and Castillo struck out looking. Pitch did look a bit low. Wonder how long before Randolph sits Castillo down for three or four games to give those knees a break?

7:47 -- What a nifty play by Santana to spring off the mound, pounce on the ball and fire a strike to gun down Austin Kearns. Nothing like having a pitcher who fields his position well. Lastings Milledge, wearing Jackie Robinson's No. 42 in a belated Jackie Robinson Night celebration, chopped out. Wily Mo Pena had an infield hit and Wil Nieves followed with a single up the middle before Santana fanned Tim Redding for his first K of the night. So the Nats strand a pair of runners.

7:35 -- Carlos Beltran led off with a leadoff double to right, his eighth two-bagger of the season. He had been 1-for-19 on the road trip. With him batting cleanup, it's imperative for him to heat up at the plate. Ryan Church had a productive out by chopping one to first base to move Beltran over to third. Carlos Delgado, in his first AB since getting dropped to sixth in the lineup, knocked in his ninth run of the season with a ground ball into the shift at second base. Pagan tapped out to first for the final out. Good start for the sluggish offense to get one in. Mets 1, Nationals 0.

7:28 -- After getting Felipe Lopez to ground out, Christian Guzman singled. Ryan Zimmerman, who hasn't looked too good at the plate in this young season and squandered more than a few chances in the Mets' three-game sweep of the Nats last weekend, smoked a pitch to left that Angel Pagan snared just in front of the 377-foot mark. It initially looked like it was going to go over his head but he made a great read on the ball off the bat. Nick Johnson's slow roller to second ended the first and the Nats left one runner on base.

7:20 -- Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo went down on easy infield grounders. That's part of the problem with the Mets now. Their table setters aren't getting on base enough, and when they do the heart of the lineup isn't driving them in consistently. David Wright flied out to center to end the inning and we'll get our first look of the night of Santana coming up.

7:12 -- Roderick Boone here with the keys to the car tonight. Should be a good one with Johan Santana pitching. This is why the Mets went out and got him so let's see if he can be the stopper tonight. Game is about to get underway.

Here we go, about half hour 'til first pitch and the 10-9 Mets arrive in Washington to try and dig themselves out from underneath a three-game losing streak that includes two embarrassing whuppings from the Cubs, who outscored the Mets 15-2 in their two-day series. Lots of fingers pointed in Carlos Delgado's direction, so we'll see if he can do anything to ingratiate himself to NY fans (he's got his work cut out for him). Also, David Wright has a little something to prove. Although he fashioned himself a bit of a Philles-killer over the weekend, Wright is hitless in his last 6 at-bats.