WASHINGTON _ Everything about Rafael Montero screamed fear, from the rigid movements of his body to his perplexing unwillingness to throw the baseball anywhere near the plate.
The Mets had seen this before. Once a highly regarded prospect, Montero has wilted in his previous chances to impress in the big leagues. But injuries to the pitching staff and desperation created this latest opportunity, one that he has once again wasted.
By the end of the Mets' 8-1 loss to the Nationals on Monday night, Montero's participation had been relegated to little more than a distant, painful memory.
What's worse, the fallout from Montero's demise could have been contained so that it would not torpedo the team's chance to win. But manager Terry Collins was too slow to act, sticking with the right-hander despite a brutal first inning, in which he established that he was fearful of throwing strikes.
The Nationals pounded Montero for six runs on five hits in just 1 2/3 innings. Of the 60 pitches he was allowed to throw, only 30 found the strike zone, an unacceptable ratio.
In the first inning, Montero issued three walks, including two with the bases loaded to force in a pair of runs. Of his 37 pitches in that awful frame, 19 failed to cross home plate. He was fortunate to limit the damage to two runs.
But when presented with a perfect window to pull Montero _ his spot in the order came up in the second _ Collins let the pitcher hit for himself. With the Mets down only 2-1, and the tying run at second base, Montero struck out.
Then, the punishment really began.
Mat Latos, the opposing pitcher, cracked the fourth homer of his career. It came on a full count, with Montero too timid to challenge a lifetime .131 hitter. It only got worse from there.
Anthony Rendon delivered the body blow that sent Montero to the showers, a towering three-run blast to the left field stands that ended the competitive portion of the evening. Only then did Collins emerge from the dugout.
Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 and hit in his 17th consecutive game against his former team.
For the third straight day, Collins left himself open to criticism.
On Saturday, he neglected to pinch run for Wilmer Flores, who represented the go-ahead run on second base in the eighth inning of a game that was tied in Atlanta. One of the slowest runners on the team, Flores was thrown out at the plate and injured his neck trying to score on a single.
The Mets went on to lose by a run in extra innings. Afterward, Collins admitted that he had become preoccupied with lining up his relievers in case of extras, thus losing track of the game situation that unfolded before him.
On Sunday, a 10-3 thrashing of the Braves, Yoenis Cespedes played the full game and Asdrubal Cabrera was not pulled until the eighth. Both are playing through leg injuries.
And on Monday, Collins paid for leaving Montero in the game despite expanded rosters, and a bevy of arms in the bullpen.
The Mets remain engaged in a three-team race for two playoff spots. They remained a half-game ahead of the Cardinals. But Monday's performance will likely be Montero's last as a starter.
Working their way back from arm trouble, Steven Matz has ramped up his throwing sessions along with Jacob deGrom.
"I let it go a little bit," deGrom said shortly after a 35-pitch session on Monday that inched him closer to a return.
In fact, deGrom may pitch in relief to ease his way back into action, just in time for a Mets' rotation that clearly needs some reprieve.
