Monday, May 18, 2026 • 6:45 PM
Nationals Park • Washington, DC
RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 3.45) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (1-4, 5.91)
SNY

The Mets had a 91-game streak of trailing after eight innings and losing. That streak finally ended Sunday afternoon! Tyrone Taylor hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the Mets to extra innings. The Mets then walked it off in the 10th.

The win ended a 5-1 home stand that saw the Mets sweep the Tigers, lose one of their best pitchers in a freak incident on Friday, and then bounce back the last two days. Now the Mets have some momentum and have shown they can fight as they take on NL East opponents on the road this week.

Apr 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Carson Benge, RF
  2. Bo Bichette, SS
  3. Juan Soto, DH
  4. Mark Vientos, 1B
  5. Brett Baty, 3B
  6. Marcus Semien, 2B
  7. A.J. Ewing, CF
  8. Tyrone Taylor, LF
  9. Luis Torrens, C

Starting Pitcher: Christian Scott

Christian Scott has made four starts this season, totaling 15 2/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.404 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. The Tigers were able to rack up hits against him in his last start, getting seven over 4 2/3 innings, but Scott was able to limit the damage to only two runs. The next hurdle for Scott is to go beyond five innings. The Nationals have the following career stats against Scott:

Opposing Lineup

  1. James Wood, RF
  2. Luis García Jr., 1B
  3. Brady House, 3B
  4. CJ Abrams, SS
  5. Daylen Lile, LF
  6. Jacob Young, CF
  7. Jose Tena, DH
  8. Jorbit Vivas, 2B
  9. Drew Millas, C

Jake Irvin has pitched 42 2/3 innings over nine starts with a 5.91 ERA, 4.64 ERA, 1.453 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. May has been rough for Irvin, allowing 14 runs, 12 earned, over three starts and 13 innings (8.31 ERA, 5.94 FIP), raising his season ERA from 4.85 to 5.91. Irvin faced the Mets four times in 2025 with two great starts and two poor starts. Overall, he allowed 13 runs on 24 hits over 23 2/3 innings while striking out 16 (4.94 ERA). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

Game Notes

  • Anthony DiComo of MLB reported the Mets will call up their No. 13 prospect, LHP Zach Thornton, to pitch Wednesday against the Nationals. It’s unknown if he will start or pitch in a bulk role.
  • RHP Kodai Senga threw a live BP on Sunday, tossing three innings (around 46 pitches) and his velocity hit around 96 mph.
  • Per Mike Puma of the NY Post, OF/1B Jared Young (meniscus), will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Syracuse this week. Meanwhile, Mike Tauchman (meniscus) is progressing slowly and not ready for rehab games yet.
  • The Mets announced a few roster moves before Monday’s game. The team added RHP Daniel Duarte to the major league roster, optioned RHP Joey Gerber to Syracuse and transferred LHP A.J. Minter to the 60-Day injured list.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Juan Soto vs an old team. Juan Soto had a fantastic weekend against his former team and has another series against a former squad. The roster looks very different than when Soto was on the team, but there is still a connection between Soto and the franchise. Last season, Soto went 17-for-48 with five doubles, four home runs, three stolen bases and nine walks over 13 games against the Nationals (.354/.456/.708). In Soto’s last four games, he has gone 6-for-16 with two home runs, three walks and three stolen bases.
  2. Contain James Wood. James Wood is having a career year. He currently leads the league in runs scored (39), walks (39) and intentional walks (6). He’s hitting .242/.389/.511 with 12 home runs and a 157 OPS+. In two games, the Mets held Wood hitless in six at-bats. In the other game, Wood went 2-for-5 with three runs scored.
  3. Mark Vientos. Since April 17, Mark Vientos has played in 24 games, and the Mets have gone 12-12 in those games. Over that stretch, Vientos has had four doubles and five home runs with 17 RBIs. On the season, he has six doubles and six home runs. His OPS has gone from .596 to .703 over the last month. It feels like he’s shaken off whatever was holding him back at the start of the season.

Let’s go Mets!