For the second consecutive night, the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals struggled to produce with runners in scoring position. Neither offense was able to execute against Max Scherzer or MacKenzie Gore, that was until the Mets got a few big swings from their best power bat.

Both Scherzer and Gore dealt with traffic on the base path, but every team the opposition threatened, they were able to get out of the jam. In the top of the second, the Nationals loaded the bases following a walk from former Met Dominic Smith. Five pitches later, Scherzer got Alex Call to ground out, keeping the game scoreless. In the bottom half of the inning, the Mets got two runners on with one out, but strikeouts of Mark Vientos and Brett Baty ended the threat.

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The game would stay scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning. Baty opened the frame with a walk, followed up by a four-pitch walk to Francisco Álvarez. That gave the top of the order a chance to cash in, but it seemed as if another scoring chance was going to drift away. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor lined out to left field, which left it up to Pete Alonso.

With a 2-1 count, Gore threw an 89 MPH on the inside part of the strike zone. Alonso crushed the ball to left-center field, hitting it all the way to the second deck. His 29th home run of the season gave the Mets a sizable 3-0 lead, one that would hold up for the remainder of the night.

Scherzer kept the Nationals quiet until the top of the seventh inning. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Luis García took an elevated fastball and crushed it to center field for his sixth home run of the season. Two batters later, Smith doubled to right center field, bringing the tying run to the plate. Scherzer retired Call and CJ Abrams to end the threat, as the Mets led 3-1.

That would be all for the Mets starter, who was in desperate need of a strong outing against his former team. Scherzer gave up one run on six hits while striking out seven in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 4.01 for the season.

A special night for Alonso continued in the bottom of the seventh, as the first baseman hit his second home run of the night, this time off of Nationals reliever Rico Garcia. With Lindor standing on first, he hit a 97 MPH at the top of the zone to center field, flying just over the fence. Alonso’s 30th home run of the year gave the Mets a 5-1 lead as they handed the game off to the bullpen.

Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley threw scoreless innings to shut the door, helping the Mets earn a 5-1 victory over the Nationals. Manager Buck Showalter gave Raley the opportunity to pitch the ninth, lowering his ERA to 2.43 for the year.

Player Of The Game: Pete Alonso

Alonso continued his hot stretch at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and five runs batted in. He entered the ninth with much better numbers in the second half, slashing .262/.347/.500 with two home runs, seven runs batted in and four walks over a 12-game stretch. Alonso has looked more like his normal self in recent days, something that was on full display Friday night.

On Deck 

Carlos Carrasco will take the ball on Saturday night, as he is set to face off against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin. The Mets starter had his fair share of problems against the Boston Red Sox on Jul. 23, giving up five runs on 10 hits in just 2 1/3 innings. It will be an important night for Corbin, who is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA in two starts since returning from the All-Star break.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM on Saturday. The game will be televised on SNY and the radio call will be on WCBS 880.