Washington Nationals beat New York Mets 5-2 as Gio Gonzalez shows command - MLB Update
Starter Gio Gonzalez powers the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 win against the New York Mets at Citi Field, New York, NY on July 24, 2012 in the second game of the three match series.
Gonzalez had a point to prove before entering into this game. The rough up he endured in the last game was one of the few instances of meltdowns by him on the mound in his career.
Therefore, he had to make sure that a slight decline will not be taken as a beginning of the end of his mastery as a starting pitcher.
In a match-up of starting pitchers that have been extremely impressive this year, Gonzalez won the battle. He gave up just one run in seven innings while striking-out four.
On the other hand, Mets’ starter R.A. Dickey conceded five runs in six innings. However, in terms of strike-outs, Dickey was better. He struck-out seven, three more than Gonzalez.
The Nationals managed 11 hits on Tuesday. The sixth inning was the most useful one for them as they added four runs in it. As a result, the task for the Mets’ batters became harder.
Washington’s relief pitchers were solid late in the innings. Due to this, New York was unable to launch a counter-attack despite showing intent for it.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez explained the importance of the victory for him. After being made to struggle on the mound in his previous start, Gonzalez wanted to assert his credentials.
"Just wanted to redeem myself from the last start," Gonzalez said. "You always want to bounce back as a pitcher. You don't want to feel down and out. A lot of these guys came up to me and gave me some positive energy, positive feedback. So the best I wanted
to do was return the favor."
New York cannot afford to keep experiencing losing streaks as a crucial stage of the season has reached now. If the club cannot reverse the decline, it will be extremely difficult for them to improve their winning percentage on the Division table.
Therefore, they will be trying their best to win the next match and gain some momentum for the upcoming games.
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