Pitching
Zack Wheeler toed the rubber for the Mets on Tuesday, and came out of the gates throwing darts. However, after a clean first, he surrendered a no-doubt home run to Nationals’ outfielder Juan Soto. Soto’s blast traveled beyond the second deck of the Coca Cola Corner and was projected at 410 feet.
The blast from Soto would be one of the lone blemishes against Wheeler, who was able to clean up his act and find his groove.
In the third, Wheeler walked catcher Yan Gomes, then proceeded to set down the following nine batters.
After six innings of one-run ball and 99 pitches, manager Mickey Callaway gave Wheeler the seventh inning. The right-hander was almost out of the weeds, but with two outs and a runner on first, Brian Dozier blasted a two-run shot.
Dozier was 0-for-his-last-37 against New York at the time of the home run. With his bullpen short, Callaway took a gamble by letting Wheeler go back out for the seventh and it backfired.
After New York gained the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the frame after Dozier’s shot, Jeurys Familia was summoned for the eighth inning, and quickly gave the game right back, with an RBI double off the bat of Trea Turner.
Familia recorded one out and was then removed from the game, where he received a shower of jeers and boos.
Left-hander Daniel Zamora relieved Familia and promptly allowed a double to Juan Soto to give the Nationals a 5-4 lead. The Stony Brook alumni struck out Gerardo Parra next, but was replaced by Tyler Bashlor, who was called upon to end the frame.
Edwin Diaz came on in the ninth, trying to preserve a tied ballgame, and more or less made quick work of his opponents. The right-hander struck out two in the inning.
Offense
After a quiet first, the Mets got something cooking in the second, but ultimately failed to score.
Todd Frazier dunked a single to left, and then went first to third on a successful hit and run with Wilson Ramos at the dish. However, the threat was erased as Carlos Gomez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
Jeff McNeil doubled in third but failed to score, followed by another fruitless threat in the fourth where Frazier hit into an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth, the Mets were able to knot the game up at one apiece. Nationals starter Erick Fedde had some control issues, doling out a walk to Ramos to begin the frame, then later plunking Juan Lagares with a pitch.
Wheeler followed with a failed sacrifice bunt, as Fedde forced Ramos at third, but McNeil laced a single up the middle that brought Lagares around to score.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Wilson Ramos singled and Dominic Smith later walked as a pinch-hitter.
J.D. Davis then came on, also as a pinch-hitter, and tucked a three-run shot over the right field fence.
Prior to the game, Callaway raved about Davis and Smith’s presences off the bench and how they have embraced their roles. That came to fruition right at the forefront in the seventh inning.
After New York gave the lead back in the top of the eighth, Pete Alonso played comeback in the bottom half, blasting a solo shot that just hooked inside the foul pole in left field. His 16th home run of the year is a club record by a rookie prior to the All-Star break.
In the bottom of the ninth, after Edwin Diaz’s strong top half of the frame, pinch-hitter Adeiny Hechavarria and J.D. Davis walked, setting up a walk-off situation for Jeff McNeil.
McNeil reached on a fielder’s choice, but Amed Rosario tapped a high-chopper to short that Trea Turner backed up on, which allowed Rosario to beat it out to give the Mets walk-off win by a score of 6-5.
On deck
New York and Washington continue their series tomorrow night with a pitcher’s duel. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will square off with a scheduled 7:10 p.m. start.
