The Mets split a series with the Washington Nationals, taking two of the four games in DC. This moves their record to 42-43 on the season. The Mets won two extra inning games, followed by losing the final two of the series.
After sweeping the Yankees and losing two out of three to the Houston Astros, the vibes are still positive with the team. The Mets are a team that would run through a wall for each other, and that is exactly what Harrison Bader almost did in Game Two of the Series as he crashed into the fence chasing a deep fly ball.
From Grimace to OMG, the storylines with the Mets have evolved through the past few weeks. Jose Iglesias, also known as Candlelita, performed his single live on its release date at Citi Field during the last home stand. In support of their teammate, the whole team came on the field to cheer him on. OMG is the team’s new rally cry and they have a sign to go along with it.
And, OMG, it’s almost time for the All Star break. The 2024 season is flying along, and is a bit more than halfway done. The Mets have one of the easier strengths of schedule the rest of the way, and only being two and a half games out of the Wild Card at this point is not a bad place to be. Additionally, reinforcements may be on the way soon, as Kodai Senga has begun his minor league rehab assignment, striking out six in 2.2 no-hit innings for Brooklyn.
Game 1: Mets 9, Nationals 7 (10 innings)
Fans enjoyed an inning of bonus baseball in the nation’s capital to start the series off. In a game that ended tied at three at the end of nine innings, there were pre-July Fourth fireworks in the tenth inning as both teams’ bats came alive.
Every Mets starter had at least one hit. They took the lead in the sixth inning by putting up three runs, including a Mark Vientos RBI single and a Francisco Alvarez two-run double. In the tenth, J.D. Martinez put the Mets ahead with a three-run home run (his tenth of the season), followed by an Alvarez RBI triple and a solo home run by Iglesias.
On the mound, David Peterson had another strong outing over 6.1 innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts. His ERA for the season stands at 3.51. Dedniel Nunez gave up the tying run in the eighth for his first blown save of the season. After a solid ninth by Jake Diekman (who earned his second win of the year), Tyler Jay came on to make his first appearance since April and it did not go very well. His final line was 0.2 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), with the final run scoring on a hit allowed by Reed Garrett that was charged to Jay. Garrett then produced a strikeout for the final out of the game.
For the Nationals, the only starters to not produce a hit were Nick Senzel and Jacob Young. Multiple hit games were produced by Keibert Ruiz (three for five with an RBI), and Joey Meneses (two for five with 2 RBIs). Ildemaro Vargas also had two RBIs, via a two-run double in the bottom of the tenth.
Nationals ace Mackenzie Gore had a good start with a high pitch count of 104 pitches through 5.2 innings. He allowed only one run on five hits and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts. His charged run scored on a hit allowed by Derek Law who went on to allow two runs (none earned) in 0.1 innings. Robert Garcia, Dylan Floro, and Kyle Finnegan did not allow an earned run over the next three innings to help send the game to extras. In the tenth, Hunter Harvey went 0.2 innings, sacrificing five runs (four earned) on three hits including the big homer by Martinez. Harvey took the loss. Jordan Weems came on to finish the inning, but not before getting charged with another run.
Game 2: Mets 7, Nationals 2 (10 innings)
Another strong performance by the bats in the Mets lineup, combined with one of Sean Manaea’s best starts of the season, provided the formula for the Mets to take the second straight of the four game series in DC.
Big games at the plate from Francisco Lindor (two for five with a solo home run), Pete Alonso (two for five with a two-run home run), and Brandon Nimmo (two for three with two RBIs), helped pace the offensive output.
In taking the ball for the Mets, Manaea went seven strong innings over 97 pitches. He was charged with two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Jose Butto made his first appearance since May 14th, and it was his first non-start of the season. Butto was rewarded with the win, his second of the year with his season ERA lowered to 2.93. Nunez came on in the tenth and shut the door without letting up a run.
The runs produced by the Nationals were not “loud” runs, as they were scored on an infield single in the third and a groundball fielder’s choice in the fifth. This staked the Nationals to a 2-0 lead, and they did not score any more runs for the balance of the game. CJ Abrams had two of the team’s six hits.
DJ Herz got the start for the Nationals, going 5.2 innings. He allowed one run on five hits, did not walk any batters and struck out 10. Floro followed Herz and went 1.1 scoreless innings. Harvey allowed the tying run to score in the eighth. Finnegan pitched a scoreless ninth, before Garcia came in for the tenth, allowing five runs (four earned) to take his third loss of the season.
Game 3: Nationals 7, Mets 5
In the first non-extra innings game of the series, the Nationals come from behind, erasing a five run deficit. Rookie Christian Scott returned to the Mets rotation and ran out of steam before the Mets bullpen gave up the lead and the game. Luis Garcia Jr. drove in four of the seven Washington runs with two home runs.
The Mets offense produced all their runs from three home runs. This included a solo shot by Tyrone Taylor to start the scoring in the top of the third (his fifth of the season), a two-run bomb by Mark Vientos in the fourth (his eleventh), and a two-run shot by Lindor in the fifth (his fifteenth).
Scott through 99 pitches through 5.2 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Adam Ottavino pitched a solid inning of relief before Diekman picked up his third loss of the year with 0.1 innings giving up two runs. Ty Adcock pitched the eighth and gave up Garcia Jr’s second home run of the game.
Garcia Jr. was the offensive star for the Nationals, going two for three on the game, scoring three runs and driving in four. His two home runs give him nine on the season. The other Washington runs were produced by Lane Thomas (RBI double in the seventh), James Wood (go-ahead single in the seventh), and Vargas (RBI single to start the Nationals scoring in the fifth).
Getting the start for the Nationals was Mitchell Parker. Over six frames, he gave up the three Mets homers, charged with five runs on five hits. He did not walk any and struck out five. The Nationals bullpen held up their end of the bargain after two rough games to start the series. Three shutout innings were chipped in by Jacob Barnes, Garcia, Harvey, and Finnegan (who picked up his 23rd save of the season).
Game 4: Mets
A wasted solid start by Jose Quintana, as the Mets lineup could not muster anything against Jake Irvin. The only firework in this game was a solo home run by Jesse Winker. This 1-0 pitchers duel was one of the quickest games in recent memory.
The Mets bats were silent for the whole game. Their only hit of the game was a third inning single by Jeff McNeil. D.J. Stewart walked, and that was it for the offense. Every player in the lineup struck out once, except for Taylor (only because he struck out twice). This was the seventh time the Mets were shut out this season, and the second time they were one-hit (first was in the first series of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers).
Quintana took the hill on a fitting day for him, as he became a US citizen earlier this summer. He did not disappoint on this Independence Day. Going seven strong shutout innings, Quintana allowed only four hits and walked three while striking out one. Adrian Houser entered the scoreless game in the eighth and gave up the home run to Winker. Houser took the loss, moving to 1-5 on the season.
The Nationals lineup was not much better in this game, but did just enough to win. The game’s only run came courtesy of a pinch hit solo shot by Winker, off Houser in the eighth inning. Riley Adams went two for two, and the only other hits produced by Washington were by Thomas and Wood, who had one each.
Irvin was masterful in his start, throwing 99 pitches over eight one-hit innings. He only walked one and struck out eight. His record improved to 7-6 and his ERA went down to 2.80. Irvin retired 17 straight Mets to end his start. Derek Law picked up his first save of the season, striking out two in the ninth inning to preserve the 1-0 Washington victory.
Looking Ahead After an early Independence Day game in the nation’s capital, the Mets hit the road for Pittsburgh. They will play four against the Pirates at PNC Park. The expected starters for the Mets are Luis Severino (5-2 record, 3.42 ERA), David Peterson (3-0, 3.51), Sean Manaea (5-3, 3.67), and Christian Scott (0-2, 4.32). The Pirates come in to the series at 41-45, which is 10.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and four games out of the last Wild Card spot.
Stats by espn.com
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