(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Mets 4, Nats 1
Andrew Alvarez pitched well again, but his teammates couldn't add to the one early run they scored at Citi Field
NEW YORK – After a 4-2 homestand that saw their lineup rediscover its potent form, the Nationals reverted back to their previous selves tonight at Citi Field, failing to take advantage of several early opportunities to extend their slim lead and then struggling to mount a late rally once they fell behind.
This loss to the Mets in the opener of a nine-game road trip against teams near or below the .500 mark had too many hallmarks of the Nats’ recent losses to contenders like the Braves and Phillies, namely an inability to hit in the clutch, which spoiled a strong pitching performance.
Picking up right where Cade Cavalli left off Thursday against the Cubs, Andrew Alvarez opened his night with five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk. But the lefty’s teammates gave him no margin for error with only one run of support, that one coming via Brady House’s RBI single in the third. Otherwise, the Nationals went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, failing to take advantage of erratic Mets starter Robert Stock (who walked three and hit a batter) in only 4 1/3 innings.
“We had a couple innings early on where I would’ve liked to be able to push at least one or two across to separate ourselves a little more than just 1-0,” manager Blake Butera said.
So when Alvarez served up a solo homer to Francisco Lindor with two outs in the sixth, the game was now tied. And after Bo Bichette reached on a strikeout-wild pitch, Butera pulled his starter and turned to his bullpen to try to keep the game tied. Jake Bird immediately gave up back-to-back singles to give New York the lead, then surrendered a homer to Jared Young in the seventh and another insurance run to create a 4-1 deficit.
“It just didn’t go our way there in the sixth,” Butera said.
The Nats went down quietly the rest of the way, Mets relievers retiring nine of the last 11 batters they faced to close out the game.
HITTING LOWLIGHT: House’s third-inning single brought CJ Abrams home with the game’s first run and set the stage for a potential big rally. But with runners on first and second and one out, cleanup hitter Daylen Lile surprisingly decided on his own to put down a bunt, hoping to surprise Bichette at third base. Stock, though, fielded it in front of the mound and fired to third, where the slow-footed Abimelec Ortiz was easily thrown out. And when Keibert Ruiz proceeded to foul out, that potentially big rally had completely fizzled. It wasn’t the Nationals’ only squandered opportunity of the game, but it loomed large because of the oddly timed bunt by Lile.
“It’s been in the back of my head a little bit, especially when things weren’t going very well at the plate,” he said. “But I feel like it’s still something that’s in my back pocket whenever I need to use my speed to my advantage. I thought I was going to do that tonight, but I’ll just learn from it.”
“He was looking to make a play,” Butera said. “We told him we want him to hit there. It’s a good matchup for him offensively. Just a learning moment for Daylen.”
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: He didn’t overwhelm hitters the way Cavalli did the previous day, but the end result was almost as good for Alvarez, who cruised through five scoreless innings on 60 pitches with ease. The left-hander retired 17 of the first 19 batters he faced, never letting anyone reach second base. He did finally make a mistake hanging a slider to Lindor with two outs in the sixth to snap a 56 2/3-inning streak without surrendering a home run (fourth-longest in club history). And he ultimately was charged with the go-ahead run after Bichette reached on a strikeout-wild pitch and scored on Carson Benge’s RBI single off Bird.
“At the end of the day, I look at the process,” he said. “But we’re trying to win ballgames right now.”
Even so, Alvarez authored another strong start to his growing resume. The left-hander has now totaled 98 1/3 innings in the majors, and in that time he has produced a 3.39 ERA. No, he’s not a dominant pitcher. But it’s hard to argue with the results over a not-inconsequential sample.
“It stinks, because it feels like he’s right on the verge of taking that next step,” Butera said, “and the last few outings have left almost a sour taste in his mouth, just the way it’s gone.”
NOTABLE: DJ Herz threw two perfect innings on 23 pitches, striking out two, during a rehab start tonight for Double-A Harrisburg. Josiah Gray faced live hitters over two simulated innings in West Palm Beach earlier in the day, the first time he’s done that since the end of spring training. And James Wood took light swings off a tee for the first time since landing on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain.
UP NEXT: Brad Lord will lead off another bullpen game for the Nats, with Butera hoping to get four innings from the right-hander as he’s stretched out to a starter’s workload. Veteran left-hander Sean Manaea starts for the Mets in Saturday’s 4:10 p.m. game. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Raise your hand if you’ve seen enough of Jake Bird.
Ditto for Jorbit Vivas, who gets my vote for DFA when Wood returns.
Lile’s unfortunate decision to bunt was the turning point for me.
Admittedly, there goes my unrealistic vision of getting back to .500 this weekend.
Butera cost us this one. Alvarez was having a stellar outing and after one mistake pitch to Lindor, Butera then decides to use the two worst bullpen options in a 1-1 game. I don’t get it.