Johan Santana Solid, Mets Shut Out Orioles Again

Following two mediocre starts after his no-hitter, Johan Santana took the mound for the Mets Tuesday night against the Orioles and finally put together a solid start.

The game was scoreless into the fourth when the Mets finally got on the board. The bases were loaded with one out when Daniel Murphy hit a hot shot down the line that was ticketed for the right field corner. But Mark Reynolds made a diving stop and scrambled to his feet to beat Murphy to first. David Wright scored on the play to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Santana threw six shutout innings, striking out five Orioles and allowing just four hits. He needed this strong start and he delivered, the Mets clinging to a 1-0 lead when he left.

Lucas Duda quickly made it 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run shot that just cleared the wall in right field. Duda now has 11 home runs and 42 RBIs, leading the team in both categories.

The Orioles made a huge mistake in the seventh that helped the Mets extend their lead. With runners on first and third and one out, Andres Torres hit a hard grounder to third. Instead of going for an almost certain inning-ending double play, Wilson Betemit, who had just entered the game on a double switch, threw home. He got his runner, but the rundown took so long it left the Mets with runners on second and third. Jordany Valdespin then hit a single up the middle to score two and give the Mets a 5-0 lead.

The bullpen was able to close out the shutout — Mets win 5-0 as they shut out the Orioles for the second straight night.