What we didnt want to do was for him to have problems in h

NEW YORK -- After letting a big chance to tighten the NL East race slip away, New York Mets manager Terry Collins was looking forward to taking a break.Taking a break from facing Daniel Murphy was bound to help, too.Murphy kept answering the Citi Field boos with booms, hitting his seventh home run this year against the team that let him go last winter and leading the Washington Nationals over the Mets 3-2 Sunday.The Mets won the opener of the four-game set, then dropped three in a row to fall six games behind the Nats going into the All-Star Game. Not even two home runs from leadoff man Jose Reyes was enough in the series finale.Were still in the race. The state of the team is were banged up, Collins said.Weve been in this situation one year ago where things looked bleak. We end up playing in the World Series, he said. So were upbeat, were going to take the rest and get ready for the second half.Murphy tops the majors with a .348 batting average at the All-Star break, boosted by the damage hes done to the Mets. He homered three times and drove in 10 runs in this series.I dont think its just against us. Hes hitting like .350, losing pitcher Steven Matz said.I dont have any answer, he said.Murphy lined a two-run drive off the facing off the upper deck in the first inning. Overall, he is 22 for 52 (.423) with 21 RBI vs. his old club.If theres any consolation for Collins, hell soon have Murphy back on his side, albeit for just a day -- Collins is guiding the NL team in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in San Diego, and Murphy is on the squad.The Nationals posted their 54th win, matching the 1994 Montreal Expos for the most in franchise history before the break.Reyes homered in his first two at-bats. His next time up, he took three wild swings and struck out.Gio Gonzalez (5-8) pitched into the sixth as the Nats beat the Mets for the ninth time in 13 matchups this year.Tanner Roark made his first relief appearance of the season, replacing Gonzalez and retiring seven straight batters. He went seven innings last Wednesday for a win.Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 21 chances.Matz (7-5) fell to 0-4 in his last eight starts. He gave up an RBI single to All-Star Wilson Ramos in the third that put Washington ahead 3-1, and left after the seventh.It took Murphy less than two months to go from valued ex-player to villain at his former home. Murphy drew two standing ovations and got a video tribute when he returned for the first time in mid-May.The longtime second baseman whose playoff slugging helped the Mets reach the World Series last year got jeered every time he came to the plate on this afternoon. He managed to make at least one new fan, however -- after chasing down a popup that landed in foul territory, he pointed to a young person in the stands and tossed the souvenir that way.TRAINERS ROOMMets: OF Yoenis Cespedes (strained right quadriceps) hasnt started since getting hurt Friday night. Collins said it was unlikely the slugger wouldve been able to pinch-hit. ... OF Alejandro De Aza twice knocked himself down with foul balls in the fourth. He got checked and stayed in.RAISING REYESReyes hit his 22nd career leadoff home run, including 17 with the Mets that tied teammate Curtis Granderson for most in team history. Reyes liner to left in the third gave him his eighth career multihomer game and first since 2011.Its always a surprise for me when I hit a homer because I dont hit too many, he said.UP NEXTNationals: Open a nine-game homestand next Friday, starting with Pittsburgh. The Dodgers and Padres later visit Washington.Mets: Start a three-game series at Philadelphia on Friday. RHP Noah Syndergaard, who left his last start with arm fatigue, will pitch at the back end of the rotation coming out of the break, Collins said. Cheap Real Air Max . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Air Max From China . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Cheap Air Max . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. CINCINNATI -- Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco had surgery on the right side of his hip Monday, the third major operation in little more than a year for the former All-Star.Mesoraco already was on the disabled list following surgery May 10 for a significant tear in his left shoulder. His latest surgery will prevent him from catching again until January, meaning he most likely wont be at full strength when spring training begins. The Reds think he could be ready for opening day, barring setbacks.The 28-year-old catcher had surgery on the other side of his hip last season, limiting him to 23 games. Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said theres no indication the hip problems would become a chronic issue.I havent been told anything about him being at risk, Price said. We certainly would like him to stay healthy and keep him on the field. Its always a crapshoot with any player. Hopefully, what hes doing is putting all this behind him so he can string together some healthy seasons.Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the teams medical director, said Mesoracos left hip has recovered nicely. He started having some problems with the right side of the hip during spring training, and doctors agreed that he would need surgery on it at some point as well. When he needed the shoulder surgery, doctors suggested that Mesoraco get the hip repaired as well.We had talked about when his shoulder was healed enough to be able to handle crutches, we would talk about addressing his right hip, Kremchek saiid.dddddddddddd. What we didnt want to do was for him to have problems in his right hip, say, the middle of next year or the end of next year.Kremchek said Mesoraco will have more range of motion after the latest hip surgery.I think this will give him a spring in his step, Kremchek said. Its going to make it a little easier for him to squat down and do things. So Im optimistic this is going to make him a better catcher and be less stressful on his body.The former first-round draft pick had one of the best seasons by a Reds catcher in 2014, hitting 25 homers and driving in 80 runs. He also made his first All-Star team that season.Before the start of the 2015 season, he got a four-year, $28 million through 2018. The contract pays him $4.9 million this year, $7.2 million in 2017, and $13 million in 2018. During the first two years of the deal, Mesoraco has played in 39 games and batted .158 with two doubles, one homer and three RBI.Hes the second Reds player to sign a big deal and then suffer serious injury. Right-handed starter Homer Bailey agreed to a six-year, $105 million deal before the start of the 2014 season. He needed Tommy John surgery in May 2015 and hasnt fully recovered. Bailey is on a minor league rehab assignment, and the Reds are hoping to get him back in August.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay ' ' '