Santana's gem goes for naught

Johan Santana scripted a scoreless and nearly flawless performance at Shea, firing seven shutout innings of three-hit brilliance against the Diamondbacks. But he not only received a no-decision, he didn't even get to celebrate a Mets triumph. Instead, Santana watched Billy Wagner blow another save - and the ace lefty's victory - in a 5-4, 10-inning loss.

Santana had perhaps the finest turn of his 14-start Mets tenure, delivering his first scoreless outing and matching his season-high with 10 strikeouts. How nasty was Santana? He struck out five straight from the last batter of the first inning to the first one of the third. He also put just seven men on base total in a 116-pitch masterpiece that was all for naught. "His changeup was unbelievable today," catcher Ramon Castro said. Added Jose Reyes, "I feel sorry for the guy." Continue