FLUSHING, New York -- Jae Seo did not need a lot of
help in his return to the major leagues. But both the New York
Mets and Washington Nationals gave it to him anyway.
Seo pitched six effective innings and delivered a two-run single
and rookie Victor Diaz collected a career-high four hits as the
Mets scored the game's first 10 runs and cruised to a 10-5
victory over the mistake-prone Nationals.
Unable to earn a roster spot in spring training, Seo (1-0) was
recalled from Class AAA Norfolk prior to the game to replace
lefthander Kazuhisa Ishii, who was placed on the 15-day disabled
list on Friday with a pulled muscle in his side.
The Korean righthander, who made 52 starts for New York over the
past two seasons, made the most of his opportunity, allowing
one run and six hits without a walk while striking out four.
"I didn't feel that different from my starts at (Norfolk)," Seo
said through an interpreter. "When I pitch at home, I feel more
comfortable. There were Korean fans out there helping me out,
and that made me feel good."
Seo, pitching on three days rest, threw 79 pitches - 55 strikes
- in picking up his first career win against the Nationals
franchise. He had been 0-5 with a 5.92 ERA in eight previous
appearances against the club.
"He did a nice job for us. The fact is, he's had experience,
and we're comfortable with that," Mets manager Willie Randolph
said. "I'm not at all surprised with what he did."
The Mets, who have won 10 of their last 13 games, scored four
times against Nationals starter Tomo Ohka (1-3) in the fourth on
Diaz's two-run double and a two-run single by Chris Woodward.
New York, which notched a season-high 16 hits, maintained the
offensive pressure as the first nine batters in the fifth inning
reached base against reliever Joe Horgan while Washington
self-destructed defensively.
Second baseman Jose Vidro misplayed a pop-up for a double, third
baseman Carlos Baerga allowed a grounder to go through his legs
and left fielder Tony Blanco slipped while chasing a line drive
that resulted in a double.
"It's such a freakin' long year, we can't hit the panic button,"
Nationals catcher Brian Schneider said. "We'll get back to
where we want to be."
The inning also included an RBIs double by Diaz and a two-run
single by Seo, who entered the game with only one career RBIs in
84 at-bats.
"I'm just trying to put the ball in play and not lose
confidence," said Diaz, who reached safely five times and raised
his average to .362.
Dae-Sung Koo allowed three runs in the seventh, Manny Aybar
tossed a scoreless eighth and Heath Bell yielded a run in the
ninth for New York.
Ohka fell to 1-7 lifetime against the Mets, allowing four runs
and six hits in three-plus innings. He walked three, raising
his season total to 15 in 20 innings.
"It's the same thing. He's not in the strike zone," Nationals
manager Frank Robinson said. "His velocity is down. There has
to be something wrong with him."
"I'm OK," Ohka insisted. "It's not a big deal for me."
Nick Johnson singled in the sixth, extending his hitting streak
to a career-best 13 games for Washington, which lost for the
fifth time in six contests.