Well it's time for the Nationals. Should be able to clean up there, right? Game 149; Monday , Sept 17 - Mets @ Nationals Nats 12 - Mets 4 Brian Lawrence (3.1 IP, 4R, 6H) vs Tim Redding (4 IP, 4R, 6H): Mets jump out with three runs off Redding before he records his 2nd out - 2 on another Beltran HR ... but then only once more for the rest of the game (Green's 5th inning solo HR) off Redding and the murderer's row bullpen of: Albaledejo, Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala (1 IP, 2H), A. Munoz, and Jesus Colome. Starter Brian Lawrence - and, gee, don't you like hearing those words - retires 10 of the first 11 he faced ... and then implodes, not recording another out until he was pulled with the score tied in the 4th. Then the relief parade starts: - Sele bails Lawrence out of the 4th but coughs up one in the 5th (5-4 Nats) - Schoeneweis bails Sele out of the 5th, but gives up two in the 6th before being pulled in favor of Sosa who gives up two more himself. (9-4 Nats) - Willie Collazzo starts the 8th until he gives up a double. - Out he goes and in comes Joe Smith who not only gives up Collazzo's runner but then two more on a PH HR by some guy named Ryan Church (12-4 Nats). But, hey, at least he pitched a scoreless 8th right? Four more errors, although all the runs were earned this time. Phils, meanwhile, jump out to an 11-0 lead in St Louis ... and then hang on to win 13-11 as the Cards put the tying runs on in the 9th with one out but can't get them in. Lead = 2-1/2; N-HOP Pct rises from 40.7% to 44.0% (we need 11 "good" outcomes out of 25 games (13 Met games, 12 Phils)