No worries with Santana

It's hard to believe that some Mets fans were actually disappointed with Johan Santana this season. The guy has been the ace the Mets expected, and has been killer in the second half of the season, continuing his winning ways with another seven-inning performance Thursday against the Nationals.

Had Santana has better bullpen and run support this season, he'd have 20 wins by now and would be at the forefront of Cy Young conversation. But that's OK, because he's keeping the Mets in contention for a division title with every start.

Run support wasn't an issue Thursday as the Mets scored in each of the first five innings, getting two -- count 'em, two -- home runs from Brian Schneider, and some clutch hitting from Ryan Church, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. All four of those players had two-out RBI, which is the definition of clutch.

You didn't like the five Washington hits in the last two innings, but Smith, Schoenweis and Feliciano were able to navigate the final six outs without much incident. And with the Phillies winning and the Brewers losing, the Mets kept pace in the division race while gaining a game in the wild card chase.

Up next, the Braves, who rolled over like dogs against the Phillies. Expect them to bring their best against the Mets, though. Screw them.