Fister pitches Nats to win
NEWYORK — DougFister breezed through his latest dominant outing against the Mets, and the Washington Nationals held on for their second straight 1-0 win over New York at Citi Field on Sunday.
It was the first time in franchise history, dating to the team’s Montreal debut in 1969, the Nationals won consecutive 1-0 games, according to STATS.
Ryan Zimmerman blooped an RBI single in the first inning, and the Nationals took three of four from the NL East leaders to make it 17 victories in their last 19 tries in Queens. A heavy favorite to win the division, Washington has won five of six behind its vaunted rotation following a six-game losing streak.
Nationals reliever Matt Thornton struck out Lucas Duda with two runners in scoring position in the eighth, and Aaron Barrett whiffed cleanup man Michael Cuddyer to end the inning. Drew Storen pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
Prior to Gio Gonzalez’s win Saturday night, saved by Storen, the Nationals had not won 1-0 on the road since May 15, 2008, also against the Mets.
Fister (2-1) threw 68 of 89 pitches for strikes before a quick hook from manager Matt Williams with a runner on second and one out in the seventh. Tanner Roark, one of four relievers who combined to finish a five-hitter, kept New York off the scoreboard.
Fister allowed those five hits and walked none while improving to 5-0 with a 0.82 ERA in five starts against the Mets, who have dropped five of six. They are 3-7 since their 11-game winning streak.
Dillon Gee (0-2) was chased in the sixth. He has lasted at least five innings in 51 straight starts, breaking the previous club record held by Dwight Gooden (1987-89). It is the longest active streak in the majors.
The last time the Mets had lost 1-0 on consecutive days was Sept. 4-5, 1990, at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, STATS said.
The previous team to defeat New York 1-0 on backto-back days was the Chicago Cubs in April 1973 at Shea Stadium. Ferguson Jenkins beat Tom Seaver in the opener in a matchup of future Hall of Famers.
Cuddyer robbed Zimmerman of a fourth-inning home run with a leaping grab at the 358-foot sign in left.
Gee, however, faded quickly after working hard in the middle innings. He escaped a jam in the fifth against the middle of the lineup and then reached base himself in the bottom half. The pitcher was running on four consecutive full-count deliveries before Curtis Granderson struck out to end the inning.
Perhaps completely gassed, Gee never got another out. He was pulled with the bases loaded following his fifth walk, but Alex Torres momentarily rescued the Mets by striking out three straight to prevent any damage.
Gee walked his first batter and New York, shaky on the infield, squandered two chances to turn a double play. That proved costly when Zimmerman poked a two-out RBI single off the end of his broken bat on an 0-2 pitch.
Fister retired 14 of 15 before Gee’s two-out single in the fifth.