WASHINGTON — R.A. Dickey won’t be participating in the Subway festivities, so he had to settle yesterday for conquering the Beltway.
Johan Santana is the most celebrated pitcher in the Big Apple after last week’s no-hitter, but the best might be Dickey. The knuckleballer’s scoreless streak is 24 2/3 innings and counting after the Mets’ 3-1 victory over the Nationals that put a three-game losing streak in the rearview mirror.
“I’m really glad [Dickey] is on my side,” Daniel Murphy said after watching his teammate toss 7 1/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. “He’s just unbelievable — awesome stuff.”
AP
ZERO WORSHIP: R.A. Dickey is congratulated by his teammates after throwing 7 1/3 innings against the Nationals to run his scoreless innings streak to 24 2/3 in the Mets’ 3-1 win in D.C. yesterday.
METS BOX SCORE
Dickey’s scoreless streak is the longest by a Mets pitcher since Mike Pelfrey threw 27 straight scoreless innings in 2010. The franchise record is Jerry Koosman’s 31 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in 1973.
The Mets (32-26) will arrive in The Bronx for three games against the Yankees confident they can compete against their cross-town rivals.
“We let one get away the first night in here and we needed to have this game to go into Yankee Stadium with,” manager Terry Collins said. “But also, I’m worried about the Washington Nationals. This kept us close to them.”
The Mets trail the Nationals by 1 1/2 games in the NL East and continue to show signs of life during a difficult stretch of games. Santana, pitching tonight for the first time since his no-hitter against the Cardinals seven days ago, will attempt to keep that momentum going.
But the Mets will try not to overemphasize the next three games.
“We’re always measuring ourselves, whether it’s the Nationals or the Yankees or the Rays,” Dickey said. “I don’t think we’re going to put any more pressure on ourselves just because it’s the Yankees. That is something that happens naturally.
“But as far as, ‘If you beat the Yankees, you’ve arrived, and if you don’t, then you haven’t,’ that’s not how we operate.”
Dickey (9-1, 2.44 ERA) was removed with one out in the eighth and then watched Bobby Parnell finish the inning before Frank Francisco allowed a solo homer to Ryan Zimmerman in the ninth.
“[Dickey] has the best command of the knuckleball of anybody I’ve seen,” Collins said. “He’s got the best one, and today was the hardest one I’ve seen him throw in quite awhile.”
Murphy’s RBI single in the seventh gave the Mets a cushion, extending their lead to 3-0. Murphy finished 2-for-4 and snapped a hitless drought that had extended to 19 at-bats.
Lucas Duda’s two-run homer in the fifth gave the Mets their initial runs. The blast was Duda’s 10th of the season, making him the first Mets player to reach double digits in 2012. Kirk Nieuwenhuis had singled leading off the inning against Chien-Ming Wang and stole second before Duda unloaded with two outs.
Dudaism has been thriving lately — the lefty slugger has homered five times since May 30.
“He has no fear right now,” Collins said. “I truly believe when he gets in the batter’s box nobody intimidates him, and he’s gotten big hits. It’s nice that he’s always hitting behind somebody [David Wright], who is always standing on second base. That helps.”
Duda is just glad he doesn’t have to face Dickey’s knuckleball.
“That’s harder to hit than a 100-mph fastball,” said Duda, who took batting practice against Dickey in spring training. “You can’t judge which way it goes. It has a life of its own.”
mpuma@nypost.com
the Mets, the Nationals, R.A. Dickey, Daniel Murphy, scoreless innings, scoreless streak, Dickey, Dickey, Mets ebook download, Washington Nationals, manager Terry Collins
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