WASHINGTON -AP- Steven Matz pitched a career-high eight innings to win his seventh consecutive start and help the New York Mets defeat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Matz (7-1) has a 1.13 ERA over his winning streak, not allowing a run in four of those starts.David Wright hit his sixth homer of the season in the first and Rene Rivera singled in a run in the seventh to help New York take the decider of a three-game set.Jeurys Familia worked out of trouble in the ninth for his 16th save.Tanner Roark (3-4) allowed two runs -- one earned -- over seven innings for Washington. 
In a game when Nationals manager Dusty Baker used slumping slugger Bryce Harper as a pinch hitter on a "mental day off," Washington got only one runner into scoring position before the ninth.After Matt Harvey struggled again in a five-run, five-inning performance in Tuesday night's 7-4 loss, Matz helped the Mets bounce back.The rookie left-hander struck out seven while allowing one walk and four hits, retiring 16 straight batters before Clint Robinson's pinch-hit single up the middle with two out in the eighth.Harper came up next, chopping out to the shortstop on Matz' 104th and final pitch.Roark nearly matched Matz for seven innings, but he fell behind early when Wright turned on a 0-1 fastball and sent a line-drive shot over the Mets' bullpen door in left.Six innings later, Rivera hit Roark's 111th pitch into left field, scoringMatt Reynolds from third after he got there following an error at second by Daniel Murphy.
In a game when Nationals manager Dusty Baker used slumping slugger Bryce Harper as a pinch hitter on a "mental day off," Washington got only one runner into scoring position before the ninth.After Matt Harvey struggled again in a five-run, five-inning performance in Tuesday night's 7-4 loss, Matz helped the Mets bounce back.The rookie left-hander struck out seven while allowing one walk and four hits, retiring 16 straight batters before Clint Robinson's pinch-hit single up the middle with two out in the eighth.Harper came up next, chopping out to the shortstop on Matz' 104th and final pitch.Roark nearly matched Matz for seven innings, but he fell behind early when Wright turned on a 0-1 fastball and sent a line-drive shot over the Mets' bullpen door in left.Six innings later, Rivera hit Roark's 111th pitch into left field, scoringMatt Reynolds from third after he got there following an error at second by Daniel Murphy.
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