The Mets (26-35) brought down the Nationals (27-33) by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday evening in Washington D.C., clinching their first series win in almost a month, dating back to May 7 in St. Louis. The triumph was backed by home runs from Harrison Bader and Pete Alonso, a triple by Starling Marte, and a strong start from David Peterson.
New York out-hit the Nationals 13-6 and has amassed 26 hits over the first two games of the series. Every batter in the Mets lineup recorded at least one hit. The Mets have had 12+ hits in four of the team’s last five games.
David Peterson (1-0) delivered a solid start for the Mets, taking home the win after allowing just two runs on five hits over six and 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two, bringing his ERA to 3.09 for the season through two starts.
Jun 4, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets threatened early in the third inning. Tomás Nido and Francisco Lindor each hit one-out singles, and Brandon Nimmo walked to load the bases. However, with two outs, J.D. Martinez struck out, leaving the runners stranded.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Nationals managed to get two on base with a walk and a single, but Peterson kept them from scoring.
The Mets struck first in the top of the fourth. Marte walked, and Bader followed with a two-run homer, his third of the season, to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, Alonso and Nimmo led off with back-to-back singles. Marte then hit a triple to drive in both runners. Mark Vientos added a sacrifice fly, scoring Marte and extending the Mets’ lead to 5-0.
The Nationals got on the board in the fifth when Jesse Winker led off with a single, and scored on a single by Jacob Young.
Peterson continued to pitch into the seventh inning, where his leadoff batter Winker reached base by a hit by pitch. With one out, Joey Gallo singled and drove in a run. After allowing another single to Jacob Young, the starter was pulled from the game after recording two outs. Dedniel Núñez came in and struck out the final batter of the inning, limiting the damage to just one run and keeping the score at 5-2.
Núñez tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning, recording one strikeout.
Alonso knocked a 446-foot insurance blast to deep left field to make it 6-2. It was his 14th home run of the season and 14th career homer at Nationals Park.
Reed Garrett came in to pitch the ninth with a four-run lead. He walked Jesse Winker in the leadoff spot and then struck out two, with Winker advancing to second on defensive indifference and scoring on a Jacob Young single.
Garrett continued to struggle, issuing his second walk of the inning on four pitches, putting the tying run at the plate. He managed to escape the jam by inducing a fly ball to end the game, securing the Mets’ 6-3 victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
David Peterson earns Tuesday’s honor after holding the Nationals to just two runs over six and 2/3 innings in his second start of the season following his off-season hip surgery. Peterson tossed 81 pitches — 52 for strikes, including 19 first-pitch strikes.
ON DECK
Luis Severino (3-2, 3.52) will start on the mound tomorrow as the Mets look to sweep the Nationals. Washington’s starter will be Patrick Corbin (1-6, 5.83). SNY will air the game at 4:05 p.m and WCBS 880 will broadcast it.
