Those Mets

METS LEAVE 24 RUNNERS ON BASE

PEREZ SOLID, BUT METS TAKE FAILURE TO A NEW LEVEL

The return of Jose Reyes was not everything it could have been Saturday afternoon. Whatever energy, offense or defense the Mets anticipated getting from their long-absent shortstop had little discernible effect. With Reyes providing little, and Oliver Perez providing an inadequate start, the Mets lost to the Nationals, 4-3. The loss was credited to the account of Perez, who was removed with two outs in the sixth inning, having allowed four runs on four hits and four walks. Perez, Tyler Clippard and Willy Taveras of the Nationals were most responsible for what developed at as Citi Field. Clippard struck out seven in three scoreless innings in relief of winning pitcher John Lannan. Taveras, hardly a run producer, drove in all four of the Nationals' runs. Reyes produced one hit in five at-bats, a leadoff single in the ninth inning, and he also was hit by a pitch. Making his first start since May 20, 2009, Reyes committed an error and one other misplay. He also made a nice barehanded play on a ground ball in the ninth, throwing out fleet-footed Nyjer Morgan. The Mets could have done more against Lannan (1-1). They twice loaded the bases with none out but produced merely one run. The bottom of their order was responsible for the two runs the Mets scored in the second. Henry Blanco, making his Mets debut, hit a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Jason Bay, and Perez followed with a first-pitch single that scored Jeff Francoeur with the tying run. The Nationals' lead was 4-2 in the fifth when the Mets scored again on singles by David Wright, Francoeur and Fernando Tatis. If not for Taveras, Perez would have had a more rewarding afternoon. But the right fielder tripled for two runs in the second inning and singled in two more in the fourth. Perez, who retired the side in order in the first, third and fifth, had trouble in the sixth as well. Two runners were on base, via a walk and an error, when he was removed in favor of Ryota Igarashi with Taveras on deck. Taveras struck out. (MLb.com)