Nationals lament lack of offense against Mets

NEW YORK -- After scoring 34 runs in their previous three games, the Nationals couldn't generate any offense during their 4-0 loss to the Mets on Friday night.

It didn't help that Mets right-hander Matt Harvey was pitching in the game. He tossed seven shutout innings and allowed five hits.

The Nationals had runners in scoring position three times against Harvey, but they ended up going 0-for-3.

Harvey is now 3-1 with a 0.68 ERA lifetime against Washington.

"He was able to have a few of the curveballs for strikes. He elevated the fastball when he needed to," Nationals manager Matt Williams said about Harvey. "We had some chances against him. We know he is on a pitch count. We had some good at-bats. That one swing of the bat, we didn't have it tonight."

After Harvey left the game, it looked like the Nationals were going to at least tie the score at 1. With reliever Alex Torres on the mound, Dan Uggla led off with a single. Tyler Moore was the next hitter and he hit the ball to left-center field. It looked like the ball was going to leave the yard, but Michael Cuddyer caught the ball at the wall.

"It came off the bat so good. He is a strong man," Uggla said about Moore's at-bat. "I thought it was going to carry out of the ballpark. It was carrying a little better to right-center with the way the wind was swirling tonight. What can you say? It was a great at-bat. He hit the ball hard. It fell a few feet short."

The Mets put the game away in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Daniel Murphy doubled over the head of left fielder Jayson Werth to score three more runs. It didn't help that Werth slipped and fell when he tried to catch the ball.

Video: WSH@NYM: Murphy clears the bases with a double in 8th

"I broke in. Even if I don't slip, I catch it," Werth said. "I almost got it anyway. I don't remember the last time I [slipped] on the field. But either way, we still have to score a couple of runs there. That was more of the issue tonight."