The Mets scored four runs in their loss to the Washington Nationals on a dark and stormy D.C. night. Three of those runs came roaring off the bat of Juan Soto.
Soto launched two home runs over the right-field wall at Nationals Park, boosting his OPS by nearly 50 points in a single game and pushing it above .950 on the season. It marked the 29th multi-homer game of his career, putting him in elite company among players under 28.
His first blast came in the top of the third. Soto turned on a 2-1 fastball and ripped a laser that crashed off the facade of the second deck, cutting the Mets’ deficit to two against what has suddenly become an offensive juggernaut in Washington.
After the at-bat, the Nationals broadcast suggested Soto should bunt his next time up. He did not bunt.
In the eighth inning, Soto struck again. This one traded the screaming line drive for pure moonshot theater, as he demolished a hanging 2-1 slider deep into the humid night sky. The projectile seemed to disappear into the darkness before blistering down and eventually settling into the second deck. Once again, the homer brought the Mets within two.
They got no closer. The consecutive losses sting, especially after the momentum the Mets had built in the previous series, but Soto remains the silver lining. He’s seeing the ball exceptionally well right now. Even his first at-bat of the night, officially a flyout, nearly left the yard.
“I can do damage,” Soto said postgame. “I can do a lot of damage, and I can help the team to be where it needs to be.”
The 27-year-old now has five home runs and nine RBIs over his last seven games. His underlying metrics remain absurd, ranking in the 90th percentile or higher in expected slugging, hard-hit rate, barrels, and square-ups, and that’s with a “slow” start.
Soto currently sits in the 86th percentile in batting run value: His full-season finishes haven’t sat below the 98th percentile since his rookie season in 2018. So, things may be rough right now, but one thing is certain: Juan Soto will show up, and damage will be done.
