DAMN MURPHY
Ex-Met’s 2 HRs help Nats finish off killer sweep
Daniel Murphy blasts a second-inning HR as he continues to torment his old team. Murphy added a two-run shot in the eighth, which proved crucial for the Nationals as the Mets scored two in the ninth before falling 4-2, dropping six games behind their rivals.
WASHINGTON — This time, it’s personal. Just ask Max Scherzer.
“It’s just obvious he wants to beat them up,” the Nationals’ stud pitcher said Wednesday night of Daniel Murphy, who beat up once again on the club that drafted, developed, deployed and dismissed him. “It’s obvious. Everybody wants to. When you face your former team, you obviously want to get the best of them.”
Oh, Murphy is getting the best of the Mets, all right. The second baseman homered twice and drove in three runs in Washington’s 4-2 victory over Terry Collins’ group at Nationals Park, completing a threegame Nats sweep.
In nine games against the Mets this season, Murphy — who signed an ultra-reasonable, three-year, $37.5 million contract with Washington after the Mets acquired Neil Walker from Pittsburgh — is 15for-35 (.429) with a double, four homers and 11 RBIs.
His two homers Wednesday gave him 14 for the season, tying the career high he established last year with the Mets. Of course, this sea- son is just 79 games old.
“For him to come out here and really slug against them, I know that puts a smile … it puts a smile on all of our faces, because we know what he’s going through,” Scherzer said. “It’s special for him to be able to do that, because he’s been a huge reason why we’ve won so many ballgames here in the first half. He’s had a huge first half just on batting average, home runs, RBI. He’s been so clutch for us. He’s been such an addition for our ball club.”
True to his nature, Murphy dodged and deflected questions about Scherzer’s comments.
“You like playing well against division opponents,” Murphy said. “Those games, they just count extra. You’ve got one team, when they win they move in one direction, the other team moves in the other one. So as good as that ball club is, as good as that staff is, as good as the middle of the lineup can be, it’s nice to get three from them.”
Asked if he saw the need to capi- talize on the Mets’ woes while they’re down, Murphy said, “I think we all know what the New York Mets are capable of. I experienced it last year. And you know how dangerous that staff can be. And with the way Yo [Cespedes] is swinging the bat, he’s just as dangerous as anyone in the game right now in the middle of that order. It was nice to get a series sweep here.”