(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Mets 4, Nats 3
Jake Irvin couldn't hold an early lead, and the Nationals lineup continued to struggle while getting swept in New York
NEW YORK — Any fleeting hope the Nationals had of climbing back into the NL wild-card race had to include a winning weekend at Citi Field. It certainly couldn’t involve three straight losses to one of the most-disappointing teams in the league.
The last-place Mets, though, clearly outplayed the Nats in sweeping the series, holding the majors’ highest-scoring offense to a total of eight runs. That admittedly depleted Nationals lineup did take an early 2-0 lead thanks to Keibert Ruiz’s RBI single in the second and Abimelec Ortiz’s solo shot off Christian Scott in the third, Ortiz’s fifth homer in his first 14 MLB games.
“I think he’s doing a really good job of controlling the zone, and hunting the pitches that he’s looking for,” manager Blake Butera said. “And when he gets them, he’s doing damage on them.”
But Jake Irvin couldn’t make the lead hold up. The right-hander gave up three runs in the third — two of them scoring on Luis Torrens’ homer to center — and another in the fourth before settling down to make it through the sixth.
“I think the pitch to Torrens leaves you with a little bad taste in your mouth, especially trying to preserve a lead there,” he said. “Other than that, I feel great about it. I was really convicted in the way I threw the ball. I thought we had a really good gameplan going in, thought we executed it really well. I’d just like one pitch back.”
The Nats trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the seventh on another RBI single by Ruiz, but that’s as close as they could get. They’ve now lost five of their last six and have fallen to six games under .500, seven games out of the race, with only 36 left to play.
HITTING LOWLIGHT: He had already seen his production decline some in recent weeks, but CJ Abrams really didn’t do much this weekend, going 0-for-10 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. He hit only one ball out of the infield in the series. Obviously, Abrams is being asked to carry the lineup with James Wood on the IL and Luis García Jr. now a Yankee, and at some point he was bound to slump a bit. But the timing of this slump, just as the team informed him of its plan to move him from shortstop to second base, is particularly tough.
“Obviously, CJ has been huge for us all the way up to this point, and will continue to be throughout the rest of the way,” Butera said. “It stands out more, obviously, with losing guys like Luis, Curtis (Mead) and Woody being out. It magnifies it that much more. … We just need some other guys to step up in that spot.”
PITCHING LOWLIGHT: Once again, Irvin proved himself to be inefficient, racking up a high pitch count even while opening his afternoon with three scoreless innings. It seemed only a matter of time before the Mets cashed in, and sure enough they did during their three-run fourth, with Torrens blasting a 92-mph fastball over the plate to deep center. Another run in the fifth added to the deficit, and though he was able to complete the sixth before reaching 100 pitches, he nevertheless fell to 2-7 with a 5.80 ERA.
“We knew we needed to get some innings out of him, given the bullpen usage as of late,” Butera said. “Obviously, he got through six. But that fourth inning was the one that really killed him.”
NOTABLE: Ortiz joined Joey Meneses as the only players in Nationals history to hit five homers in their first 14 MLB games. Only three others hit three homers in their first 14 MLB games: Dylan Crews, Juan Soto and Danny Espinosa.
“I’m not surpised by it, because of the all of the hard work I’ve been putting in throughout my career,” he said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I’m just really happy, really excited for everything that has happened since being here.”
UP NEXT: The Nats head to Texas, where they’ll enjoy a day off before opening a three-game series Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. EDT. Jackson Kent is scheduled to make his second career start in the series opener. The Rangers have not announced rotation plans yet, but MacKenzie Gore just pitched Saturday and won’t be on turn to face his former team. TV: Nationals TV Radio: 106.7 FM
What's there to say except, again, not the sweep we were hoping for.
So...taking this in a very different direction. Just curious of what you think.
The Jeep commercial - would you buy a Jeep because it is the most "patriotic brand in America". I'm pretty worm out from the jingoistic takeover of American sports. Singing God Bless Ameria right after 9/11 was a welcome salve, but 25 years later? Flyovers, daily acknowledgements of the military. Yes, thank you brave men and women. But what about school teachers, firefighters, police, and the shmo down at the DMV doing the best they can (OK, maybe not the best example) Thanks for any gentle/kind reply. Maybe the question is, who else might we honor? Or should we "just" play ball!
Tommy John died today.
“With his reconstructed arm, Mr. John seemed ageless, and pitched for the California Angels and Oakland Athletics before returning to the Yankees in 1986. He retired three years later at 46, the oldest player in the game at the time. His 26-year career is the second-longest in baseball history, one year shorter than those of pitcher Nolan Ryan and 19th-century player Cap Anson.
Mr. John had a lifetime ERA of 3.34 and, according to MLB.com, forced opposing teams to hit into 605 double plays, a major league record. He won 124 games before his elbow surgery, and 164 games in the 14 years after it.”