irmed that injured closer Bobby Parnell will have season-ending surge

NEW YORK -- Gio Gonzalez came about as close as a pitcher can to a no-hitter. The left-hander would up inches away in a one-hitter Monday night and the Washington Nationals hit five home runs, including long balls by their first two batters in a 9-0 rout of the New York Mets. "It was a great performance," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. "He was throwing everything over -- change, curve, fastball. It was fun to watch." Gonzalez held the overmatched Mets hitless into the seventh before pinch-hitter Zach Lutz broke up the bid with a soft single. Lutz swung at the first pitch of the inning and sliced a looper that landed on the first base line, taking out a chunk of chalk well behind the bag for New Yorks lone hit. "Off the end of the bat," Lutz said. "It was good luck." First baseman Adam LaRoche made a diving attempt as the ball hit the dirt, but it squirted by and into foul territory along the right field line. First base umpire John Hirschbeck correctly called it fair, and Gonzalez (10-6) paused behind the mound to stare in that direction. "LaRoche came over to me and said, Im sick to my stomach. All the guys came over and said the same thing," said Gonzalez, who won 21 games last season and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting. After the hit, Gonzalez kept sailing along in a dominant outing. He struck out eight and walked two for his second career shutout and fourth complete game, improving to 5-0 in six starts against the Mets since last years All-Star break. Denard Span and Ryan Zimmerman hit back-to-back homers to start the game. Jayson Werth and Tyler Moore also connected off Carlos Torres (3-4), roughed up by Washington for the second time in six weeks. Wilson Ramos added a three-run shot off reliever Greg Burke. The five home runs were the most a team has hit in one game at Citi Field, which opened in 2009. Handed a huge lead, Gonzalez was in cruise control as he won his third straight start. He faced three batters more than the minimum to help the Nationals, on the fringe of the NL wild-card chase, win their third in a row and fifth in six games. The only ball the Mets hit hard was a line drive to shortstop by Juan Lagares in the fifth. Gonzalez walked his second batter and penultimate one. "Fortunately, we put a ball in play where no one was at so we go home at least knowing we didnt get no-hit," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Obviously, we feel very fortunate." Washington gave Gonzalez a two-run lead before he took the mound, hitting two homers on Torres first eight pitches. Spans shot to right field was his sixth career leadoff homer and first for the Nationals this season. It also extended his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active run in the majors. Zimmerman followed with a drive to left-centre for his fourth home run in three days and sixth in the last seven games. It marked the third time this season that a team hit back-to-back homers to begin a game, according to STATS. Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran did it for St. Louis on April 26 against Pittsburgh, and Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout connected for the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 6 against Texas. Steve Lombardozzi and Bryce Harper were the last Nationals pair to achieve the feat on June 3, 2012, against Atlanta. The previous time the Mets served up homers to the first two batters in a game was June 28, 2003, when Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter went deep for the Yankees, STATS said. "That was the first time I had ever seen it," Mets catcher Travis dArnaud said. Span singled in the third, Zimmerman walked and Werth hit a three-run shot to left-centre. Moore opened the fourth with a long drive to straightaway centre, making it 6-0. Ramos connected in the fifth, and the only drama left was Gonzalezs pursuit of a no-hitter. Torres gave up six runs and five hits in four innings. Hes made four solid starts for the Mets and turned in two duds against the Nationals, including their 14-1 rout on July 28. NOTES: Collins confirmed that injured closer Bobby Parnell will have season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. The team hopes Parnell will be ready for spring training. ... Harper sat out again with a sore left hip. Scratched from the lineup Saturday in Miami, Harper was examined by team doctors in Washington, and Johnson said tests showed inflammation but no structural damage. The 20-year-old slugger will take oral medication and miss at least the first two games of the series. ... Johnson said RHP Tanner Roark will start the series finale Thursday. ... Span had three hits. ... Gonzalezs other shutout was a five-hitter against St. Louis on Aug. 31 last year. ... The 70-year-old Johnson has said this will be his final season as a major league manager, so this series marks his last scheduled visit to Queens, where he piloted the Mets to the 1986 World Series title at old Shea Stadium. He said its always fun to come back, but he feels "too young to retire" and wouldnt be averse to some sort of challenging baseball job in the future. Ander Herrera Jersey . "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. Michael Carrick Jersey . Virtanen opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period, then gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal 1:03 into the second. Sweden cut the lead in half when Daniel Muzito Bagenda scored a power-play goal at 10:57 of the second. http://www.manunitedfcpro.com/Kids-Ashley-Young-Jersey/ .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday. Chris Smalling Jersey . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in the not-so-distant future, a new image. Juan Mata Jersey . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said hes feeling great and "absolutely" expects to start in Carolinas home opener Sunday against the Detroit Lions. "Its great to be out there grinding with the entire team and not have any restraints," Newton said. Newton fully participated in practice and threw the ball with good velocity -- although coach Ron Rivera said the fourth-year quarterbacks timing on his passes is still a bit of a concern. Wearing a thick, protective flak jacket, Newton took the majority of reps with the first team offence as expected and didnt seem to have any problems throwing, Rivera said.. Rivera said Monday he expected Newton to start against the Lions on Sunday after missing the season opener at Tampa Bay with a rib injury -- and he didnt waffle on that decision Wednesday. "We dont expect him to have anny setbacks," Rivera said.dddddddddddd Rivera said hes more confident that Newton would be able to handle a hit to the ribs this week. Derek Anderson filled in for Newton and threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers defeated the Buccaneers 20-14 in Week 1. Anderson returned to working with the second team unit on Wednesday. It was the first missed start for Newton since coming into the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2011. During a press conference Wednesday Newton refused to discuss anything related to last weeks game, including the teams decision to hold him out or when he inexplicably ran on to the field during a timeout in street clothes to talk to his teammates in the huddle. "My focus is on the Lions," Newton said. "We cant dwell on the past. It was a great to get a team win but Im moving forward." 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