Mets Barely Hang On In Ninth, Defeat Nationals 8-7

In his career, MacKenzie Gore (4-5, 3.57 ERA) has been successful against the Mets (25-35), entering Monday’s contest with a career 2.40 ERA against New York. He wasn’t at his best in this game, and the Mets took advantage. Gore lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs in a back-and-forth game early. Ultimately, the Mets defeated the Nationals (27-32) 8-7.

The Mets totaled eight runs on 13 hits, six of which came from Jose Iglesias and Starling Marte. It was a much-needed strong offensive performance against a good pitcher in Gore, who has been at his best this year. Still, the all too familiar ninth inning collapse almost happened again today, with the Mets surrendering two runs and putting the winning runs on base after entering the ninth up three.

Gore’s command was shaky from the outset of this game, and he constantly dealt with high pitch counts and runners being awarded a base via the walk. A single followed by a walk and a wild pitch put runners on the corners with no outs in the second inning, and Harrison Bader, celebrating his 30th birthday, hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the Mets’ first run.

Where Bader gave the Mets a run, though, he gave one right back to the Nationals. In the bottom of the second, a line drive into the right-center field gap by Nick Senzel appeared to be caught by Bader, but the ball fell in and out of his glove, which allowed Senzel to reach second. He would come around to score on a Jesse Winker RBI single to tie the game.

The Mets went back on top when Mark Vientos clocked a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, and New York added to their lead with a Francisco Lindor RBI single. But, of course, that lead wouldn’t last either. A fielder’s choice and a two-run Joey Gallo homer gave the Nationals three runs in the bottom of the inning to re-take the lead by a score of 4-3.

Mark Vientos DEMOLISHES his fifth home run of the year to put the Mets back ahead 2-1! pic.twitter.com/dODim8zL8N

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Finally, the Mets exploded in the top of the fifth inning to give themselves an even bigger lead this time. Harrison Bader recorded his second sacrifice fly to re-tie the game before Jose Iglesias brought home a run on an RBI single, his third hit. Luis Torrens added a few more insurance runs with a two-run double, his first hit as a Met, giving the Mets a 7-4 lead. Gore couldn’t last through the fifth inning, and he gave up six runs in total to inflate his season ERA from 2.91 to 3.57.

The Nationals scored yet again in the bottom of the inning with a bases-loaded walk to cut the Mets’ lead to two, but that’s all the damage Tylor Megill (1-2, 3.00 ERA) would allow. He ran out of gas at the end but did just enough to qualify for the win, allowing five runs (four earned) in five innings, with ten baserunners allowed and four strikeouts. His ERA on the season is now 3.00.

Just as the Mets did the last time the Nationals scored, they rebounded again with a run of their own in the sixth inning, their third straight inning with a run. J.D. Martinez‘s aggressive baserunning from first to third base drew a throw to third that wound up hitting him. Reliever Jacob Barnes then tried to backpick Starling Marte at first base, but the throw got away, allowing Martinez to score to put the Mets ahead 8-5.

The back-and-forth scoring between New York and Washington settled in the final few innings after a chaotic middle of the game. Adrian Houser was on the mound for the Mets following Megill’s departure and did a great job of quieting the Washington lineup. After two perfect innings, Houser ran into some trouble in the eighth and made way for Drew Smith, making his first appearance since April 23. Smith successfully recorded the final two outs of the inning, both of which came with the tying run at the plate.

That set up Adam Ottavino for a save chance in the ninth inning, with the Mets up three. With saves so elusive and late leads seemingly disappearing every game for the Mets, Ottavino issued a leadoff walk and immediately hit the next batter to bring the tying run to the plate yet again. Following a fly ball out, Jesse Winker drove in another run with a single to right field to put the Nationals within two.

Ildemaro Vargas then singled to load the bases, promptly knocking Ottavino out of the game in favor of Jake Diekman. A Joey Meneses sacrifice fly made it an 8-7 game with runners on the corners and two outs. A base hit would tie and potentially win the game. But Diekman got a strikeout looking to hold on and convert the save chance, barely giving the Mets a win to bring them back to 10 games below .500.

Statistic of the Game: Getting to Gore

The Mets tagged Gore for six runs in Monday’s game, the first time Gore has allowed four or more runs all season. Gore has pitched historically well against the Mets but didn’t have his best stuff in this game. The Mets have been desperate for any signs of life on offense, so they’ll take a game in which they scored eight runs and made a quality starting pitcher look uneasy.

Player(s) of the Game

Mark Vientos continues to prove he belongs and deserves everyday playing time on the big league club. In his latest effort, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks, reaching base four times. His OPS through 59 at-bats is now 1.070.

Jose Iglesias also deserves recognition, as he made an unexpected impact in this game, batting eighth and replacing Jeff McNeil against a lefty starter for the second consecutive game. Iglesias had three hits, all singles, including an RBI. Iglesias is now 5-for-11 since being called up to the major league club, and he might continue to see more playing time as Jeff McNeil’s struggles feel never-ending.

On Deck

The Mets and Nationals continue their series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. David Peterson (0-0, 3.60 ERA) will make just his second start of the season for the Mets, while former Met Trevor Williams (5-0, 2.22 ERA) looks to continue his fantastic season for the Nats.

Peterson has pitched to a 3-1 record with a 3.68 ERA in nine appearances (six starts) against the Nationals throughout his career while Williams has a 3-2 career record with a 3.83 ERA in eight starts against the Mets. The first pitch for the game will be at 6:45 p.m. ET, and the game will air on SNY.

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