The Mets were defeated by the Washington Nationals, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon in the first game of their doubleheader.
Here are some takeaways…
– Joey Lucchesi originally got the start on Saturday afternoon and put the Mets in a first-inning 1-0 hole, the seventh straight game New York allowed a run in the first. Washington would load the bases against the southpaw, but a Dominic Smith double play helped him get out of the inning without any further damage.
Lucchesi worked around a leadoff double in the bottom of the second, and then due to the rainout, his outing was over. He allowed just the one run on four hits and one walk in his two innings of work.
– The game was called in the top of the third with the Mets trailing 1-0. Just prior to that, Michael Perez had lined a one out double to put himself and Daniel Vogelbach in scoring position for the top of the order. Almost a full day later, Brandon Nimmo lined the first pitch he saw from Erasmo Ramirez leading off the resumed game for a sacrifice fly, evening the score at one.
– The Mets then wasted a golden opportunity to jump on Ramirez in the fourth, as three straight singles by Pete Alonso, Brett Baty, and Starling Marte loaded the bases with one out. Vogelbach worked the count but struck out on a breaking ball in the dirt and Luis Guillorme flew out to left to end the threat.
– Stephen Nogosek was the first man out of the bullpen for the Mets on the afternoon. He worked quickly through his first inning of work, then fell into some two-out trouble in the top of the fifth and handed Washington back the lead. He returned for a third inning and was helped out by his defense to put up another zero.
– A few innings later, the Mets had another golden opportunity. Perez picked up his third hit of the game, followed by a Nimmo double down the line, to set up runners on second and third for Jeff McNeil. After a pitching change, McNeil lined a sac fly to center to tie things up at two apiece.
– Pitching for the first time since feeling elbow soreness earlier this week, Dominic Leone tossed a scoreless sixth inning. Then, after the Mets tied things up in the seventh, he gave the lead right back on a CJ Abrams leadoff homer.
– The Mets gave themselves one last chance against Kyle Finnegan in the top of the ninth, as Perez and Nimmo lined back-to-back two-out hits, but McNeil flew out to end the game. New York had eleven hits in the game but left nine men on base and finished 1-for-7 with RISP.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets and Nationals play Game 2 of the doubleheader at 4:35 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Max Scherzer (2-2, 5.56 ERA) returns to the mound to take on young Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin (1-0, 0.84 ERA).
