NEW YORK — The ball came screaming off Ryan Church’s bat and appeared headed directly at Austin Kearns in right field.
In that instant, John Lannan stood on the mound and — though he was upset at himself for hanging another slide — thought he had perhaps performed yet another dazzling escape act on a night filled with them.
And then the ball kept carrying, to the point where Kearns only could leap into the air and make a last-ditch attempt to snag it. When he couldn’t, two New York Mets runners scrambled around the bases to score, Church coasted into second and the Washington Nationals’ hopes of a second straight win at Shea Stadium were dashed.
Church’s gift double (along with his solo homer in the third) off Lannan carried the Mets to a 6-3 victory that didn’t require much explanation afterward. The key play in the sixth inning, which came with the game tied 2-2, meant everything.
“I thought I had a read on it,” Kearns said. “It just didn’t end up doing what I thought it was going to do. … It carried. I knew he hit it pretty good. It just seemed like it hooked or cut or something.”
Maybe it’s just the way things are going this season for Church and Kearns, two former teammates in Washington who have taken divergent paths this year.
With his 2-for-4, four-RBI night, Church raised his average to .324, his home run total to eight and his RBI total to 30. No Nationals player comes close to any of those numbers. He took no satisfaction yesterday, though, in beating up on his old team or on the big hit that decided the game.
“I hit it pretty good,” Church said. “It probably got up on him a little quicker than he thought. It’s tough to get a read off the bat, especially when guys take big hacks. It’s just one of those things where you kind of want to freeze.”
That play might well encapsulate Kearns’ miserable season. A 1-for-4 performance last night that included three men stranded on base left him teetering just above the Mendoza Line at .201 with three homers and 16 RBI.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Things haven’t gone good, but I like to win. I want to win. Personally you always want to do good. You just got to stay after it, be the same guy every day, come and play hard.”
The Nationals (16-24) might feel that same way as a group. At this point, they want to start winning games on a consistent basis.
Perhaps the return of Jason Bergmann to the rotation will help spark this club. Following last night’s loss, manager Manny Acta announced that the right-hander, relegated to Class AAA Columbus after only three rough appearances in April, will be recalled in time to start tomorrow’s series finale at Shea Stadium.
The club will need to make a corresponding roster move before bringing Bergmann back. Potential candidates for demotion could include left-hander Matt Chico, recently banished to the bullpen, or right-hander Joel Hanrahan, who continues to struggle with his command.
Last night’s game began with some fears circulating around the stadium that there could be residual effect from the previous evening’s affair, in which now ex-Mets right-hander Nelson Figueroa called Nationals players “softball girls” for engaging in a spirited dugout chant. Those fears were realized briefly when starter John Maine plunked Felipe Lopez with the first pitch of the game.
Retaliation? Apparently not, because the rest of the game was played without incident, even if it was a bit ragged at times.
Lannan, pitching in front of his Long Island family and friends for the second time in a month, danced a tightrope all evening. The rookie left-hander allowed 12 hits in six innings, at least two of them in all but the first inning.
Somehow, he allowed only two runs to score until the sixth inning, when Church’s drive sailed past Kearns.
“I was just mad at myself for making that pitch,” said Lannan (3-4). “The ball was hit hard. I didn’t really look at it. It’s just a bad pitch in that situation. I should have kept the ball down on him. It was right there for him, and he hit it real hard.”
SEEN AND HEARD AT SHEA STADIUM
NEW YORK — Fresh from announcing earlier in the day that she plans to retire at the end of the season LPGA golfer Annika Sorenstam threw out the ceremonial first pitch before last night’s game.
Sorenstam, whose 72 career wins rank third in LPGA history, wore a Mets jersey with the No. 59 on the back.
The significance? She is the only woman ever to shoot a round of 59 on tour.
— Mark Zuckerman
BY THE NUMBERS
0 Errors committed by Nick Johnson in 34 games at first base this season.
TONIGHT’S GAME
Nationals RHP Tim Redding Record, ERA: 4-3, 3.83
Mets RHP Claudio Vargas Record, ERA: First start
Time: 7:10 p.m. TV: MASN2 HD
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