Johan Santana of the New York Mets and Miami's Josh Johnson went toe-to-toe in a stirring pitchers duel but neither starter picked up the win as the Mets' bullpen carried the home team to a 2-1 win on Tuesday.
Johnson and two-times Cy Young winner Santana each allowed just one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings. Santana registered 11 strikeouts while Johnson had nine.
Miami's Johnson exited the game with a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, only to watch his relievers walk in the game-tying run moments later.
Miami's bullpen then found trouble in the eighth where Lucas Duda hit an infield RBI single for the winning run.
Santana's pitching reinforcements were much more dependable, blanking the Mets over their remaining 2 1/3 innings. Jon Rauch (3-0) pitched the eighth for the Mets to pick up the win and Frank Francisco worked the ninth for his fourth save.
The contest marked the return of Jose Reyes to New York, where he spent his first nine seasons before signing with Miami in the off-season, but he finished 0-for-4 in an uneventful homecoming.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)