Instant Analysis: Mets 16, Nats 7 (12)
The Nationals lost Jacob Young to a painful injury in the second inning. Then they lost a painful ballgame 10 innings later.
Ten innings after losing Jacob Young to an agonizing injury, the Nationals found a way to lose an agonizing ballgame as well.
The Mets turned what had been a tight, back-and-forth affair into a rout with 10 runs in the top of the 12th off a depleted Nats pitching staff that was forced to use infielder Jorbit Vivas as its final reliever of the night. This came long after Young was drilled in the ribs by a pitch way back in the bottom of the second, departing in obvious pain.
Both teams had golden opportunities to win late, but neither could convert the necessary clutch hit until the 11th, when each side did just enough to score one run, but nothing more than that. The Mets got a pair of long flyouts to bring automatic runner Mark Vientos home. The Nats converted as well when automatic runner CJ Abrams took third on Daylen Lile’s grounder back to the mound and then scored when Bo Bichette couldn’t make a play on Joey Wiemer’s slow roller to third.
New York again scored its automatic runner in the 12th, then piled on with nine more runs, the first seven charged to Paxton Schultz (who was pitching for the third straight day). Once Schultz’s pitch count got to 25, manager Blake Butera decided to pull him in favor of Vivas, which created a long conversation among the umpiring crew, which had to check with MLB headquarters to see if such a move was allowed. (Ultimately, it was.) Vivas then gave up three more runs on four hits before the inning came to a merciful end.
Jake Irvin saw his velocity increase tonight, but that didn’t necessarily lead to better results. The right-hander gave up three runs (one earned) in four-plus innings. Some shaky defense from James Wood and Luis García Jr. didn’t help matters, but he also served up a monster home run to Brett Baty in the fourth. Butera turned to his bullpen one batter into the fifth, and PJ Poulin immediately issued a walk and then surrendered a two-run single to Juan Soto to give the Mets the lead.
The Nationals had jumped out in front with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second that unfortunately was ignited by Young’s hit-by-pitch. José Tena doubled home pinch-runner Wiemer, then scored on Drew Millas’ RBI single. Wiemer would add an RBI double in the third to extend the lead to 3-1.
When Mitchell Parker allowed a homer to Bichette in the seventh, the Nats trailed by two runs. They got one back in the bottom of the inning on Abrams’ bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Then they got the other one back in the bottom of the eighth when Wood singled with two outs and Curtis Mead followed with an RBI double to right-center. Despite putting the winning run in scoring position with one out in the ninth, the Nationals couldn’t convert, with Jose Tena striking out and Vivas popping out to send this game to extras.
HITTING LOWLIGHT: The Nationals chipped away throughout the night, scoring runs one at a time instead of in bunches. And sprinkled in there were several clutch plate appearances, from back-to-back walks drawn by Mead and Brady House in the seventh, to Wood’s two-out single and Mead’s RBI double in the eighth. But they kept finding ways not to come through with the one big hit they needed to take the lead, either in regulation or extra innings.
PITCHING LOWLIGHT: If there was reason to be encouraged by Irvin tonight, it was the notable increase in his velocity (on all pitches). He was hitting 95-96 mph with his fastball at times, and his curveball was all the way up to 83 mph. But this was far from a flawless performance from the right-hander, who needed 71 pitches just to complete his first three innings. The home run by Baty was a 451-foot bullet to center field. All that said, if the Nationals play clean defense behind him, Irvin probably emerges with a decent final line.
INJURY LOWLIGHT: Young went down in a heap when Christian Scott’s 93-mph fastball caught him flush on the left rib cage. He tried to get to his feet and walk it off, but it quickly became apparent that wouldn’t be possible, so he walked off the field with the help of head athletic trainer Dale Gilbert. The Nationals didn’t provide an update on Young before the game ended, but it’s quite possible he’ll need to go on the IL. That would clear a spot on the active roster for Dylan Crews, who sources said is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. That move, by the way, was already in the works before Young was hit by the pitch, so the club likely was preparing to remove someone else from the roster for Crews.
UP NEXT: Tuesday night’s game (6:45 p.m. first pitch) features a matchup between Foster Griffin and Nolan McLean. It also now will feature the expected return of Crews from Triple-A. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Here's the thing. The Nats played atrocious defense and missed numerous good scoring opportunities due to poor ABs. And yet, they still were in it until they ran out of pitchers. They are close to being a good team, but have to start playing clean and smart baseball on a consistent basis.
As epitomized by tonight, the Nats defense (or lack thereof) is why we can’t have nice things….