Nationals 1, Mets 0

5/15/2008 3:16 PM

By RACHEL COHEN
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -Willie Harris' diving catch in the ninth inning saved Washington, and the slick-fielding Nationals beat the New York Mets 1-0 Thursday behind Jason Bergmann's fantastic pitching performance.

Washington won an unlikely duel between Bergmann and Mike Pelfrey, who carried a no-hit bid into the seventh. Harris' bunt set up Felipe Lopez's sacrifice fly in the eighth, helping the Nationals take three of four at Shea Stadium.

The Mets put a runner on third with one out in the ninth, but first baseman Aaron Boone snared Carlos Delgado's low liner and threw across the diamond to double off Carlos Beltran.

Beltran opened the inning with a single, and Ryan Church hit a high fly down the left-field line that looked like trouble right off the bat. But the speedy Harris, who stayed in the game after batting for Bergmann in the eighth, sprinted a long way and laid out for a highlight-reel catch.

Beltran then stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Jesus Flores before Delgado lined into the game-ending double play, giving Jon Rauch his ninth save.

The Mets finished a sour 3-4 on their seven-game homestand against last-place teams.

Pelfrey (2-4) held Washington hitless until Boone's leadoff single in the seventh. He lost the shutout in the eighth, when Flores doubled leading off and the Nationals brought him home with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.

Pelfrey allowed one run and three hits in 7 2-3 winnings, the longest outing of his career.

But he was outdone by Bergmann (1-1), recalled from Triple-A Columbus before the game. He had made two previous starts for the Nationals this season, the most recent on April 9, and came in with a 10.45 ERA.

Bergmann pitched seven sharp innings, giving up three hits and striking out nine, one shy of his career high. He didn't allow a runner past second. The Mets' best threat against him came in the fifth, when Marlon Anderson singled and stole second, and Luis Castillo walked. David Wright popped out to end the inning.

It was only the second time in 30 career starts that Bergmann didn't allow a run. He went six scoreless innings in a win at Atlanta last April.

The Mets tried to rally in the eighth, but ran themselves out of a chance to tie the game.

Jose Reyes led off with a bunt single and Castillo laid down a perfect sacrifice. Reyes, noticing that nobody was covering third, tried to take an extra base, but shortstop Cristian Guzman recovered in time and beat him to the bag, with the two colliding as Reyes was tagged out for an unusual 5-3-6 double play.

Pelfrey pitched seven shutout innings against the Nationals on April 15, his last win. But he didn't make it into the sixth in each of his next three starts, all Mets losses, as his ERA climbed from 1.50 to 5.27.

He bounced back by allowing two runs in six innings in his last outing, a hard-luck loss to the Reds.

Pelfrey got two standing ovations Thursday, one after Boone's line-drive single to right broke up the no-hitter, the other when he left the game with two outs in the eighth.

Notes: Castillo returned after missing three games with a strained left quadriceps. He showed no ill effects, reaching on a bunt in his first at-bat. Castillo went 2-for-2. ... Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis felt better after spending much of the day in the hospital Wednesday with stomach pain. ... Mets reliever Matt Wise stayed in the game after being hit by Austin Kearns' line drive in the top of the ninth. He picked up the ball and threw out Kearns at first.