NEW YORK _ In an alternative timeline in which the Mets and Nationals live up to their preseason expectations, Friday night's showdown at Citi Field could have been of great significance _ for the division race, for the wild card, for the rivalry _ and maybe even a playoff preview.
Instead, it was just another step in Jason Vargas' attempt at second-half redemption.
As the Mets beat Washington, 3-0, Vargas tossed six shutout innings, striking out a season-high eight. He walked none and allowed three hits. It was his best start as a Met. His ERA is down to 6.96, its lowest point of the year.
Vargas' greatest feat came in the fourth, when he struck out the middle of the Nationals' order. Bryce Harper went down looking at an 87.7-mph fastball on the outer edge of the plate, a call he disagreed with. Ryan Zimmerman followed by whiffing on a change-up that tailed down and away. Juan Soto, Washington's 19-year-old Rookie of the Year candidate, worked a 3-and-1 count, but watched consecutive mid-70s curveballs for strikes.
The Mets managed a lone run off Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez, who lasted seven innings.
Jay Bruce blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, the highlight of his 1-for-4 effort in his first game back from a two-month stint on the disabled list with hip and feet problems. It was his first long ball since May 7 in Cincinnati.
In the first season of his three-year, $39 million contract, Bruce is hitting .213 with four homers. He said Friday afternoon he believes his problems at the plate in the first half were linked to his physical issues.
"Obviously, I've been injured and underperformed," Bruce said. "Neither of those things were on my list of things to do coming back to New York. It's not something I'm happy about or proud of, but I can only move forward.
"I have a little over a month this year and I have two more seasons to right the ship and be the player I've been pretty much my whole career. I think people know that and I think people are going to see that."
