The Mets (5-2) lost to the Washington Nationals (3-3) by a final of 4-0 in their first home game of the season. Noah Syndergaard got the loss – his first of the season, while Stephen Strasburg picked up the win in a three-hit, nine-strikeout performance over six and two-thirds innings. The Mets managed just four hits on the day – a new low this season – while striking out 14 times.
Pitching
Noah Syndergaardkicked off the festivities with a three-up, three-down top of the first that featured strikeouts of leadoff man Adam Eaton and three-hitter Anthony Rendon, the last pitch a 99 mph fastball on the outside corner.
Syndergaard ran into trouble to open the top of the second inning after issuing back-to-back walks and uncorking a wild pitch to put them in scoring position. The righty settled down, striking out Yan Gomes before retiring shortstop Wilmer Difo on a run-scoring bunt groundout. He promptly struck out opposing pitcher Stephen Strasburg on four pitches to wrap up a 19-pitch frame.
He got right back to business the following inning, retiring the side in order while picking up another strikeout of Eaton. Syndergaard navigated another three-up, three-down inning in the fourth, albeit on 23 pitches.
The fifth inning began in a similar fashion as Syndergaard whiffed Gomes to win an 11-pitch at-bat. He extorted two more groundouts on eight pitches to mark a dozen in a row retired and wrap up yet another hitless frame.
Syndergaard allowed a Victor Robles home run after hanging a curve to open the sixth and break up the no-hitter, making for his second long-ball against the righty in as many games this season. Noah would nonetheless limit the damage, recording his next three outs on ten pitches to wrap up his first quality start. His final line featured just one hit and two walks against six strikeouts in a 98-pitch, 61-strike effort.
Justin Wilson made his home debut in relief, striking out a pair to work around a hit batter in a scoreless seventh.
Jeurys Familia walked a batter of his own, but struck out the side in his first appearance since Monday night.
The recently-ailing Seth Lugo took his struggles into the ninth, yielding an opposite-field double to Rendon and a weak single off Juan Soto before Ryan Zimmerman plated the former with a sacrifice fly. Lugo was lifted in favor of Tim Peterson after just 12 pitches.
Soto made it to second on a wild pitch before a Gomes base hit moved him to third. A parachute hit into left from Difo brought him home to make it a 4-0 game and clear the deck for Lugo – who now owns a 12.27 ERA in his first four appearances. Peterson would keep it at that, inducing a two-out popup to leave the bases full in a tedious ninth.
Offense
Against Strasburg through their first four innings, the Mets struck out five times and managed just two baserunners: one walk from Robinson Cano and an E3 on a Pete Alonso grounder.
They broke the ice in the fifth with a leadoff single off the bat of Wilson Ramos, and after a Jeff McNeil forceout, Amed Rosario reached on an error by Rendon to put McNeil in scoring position. Strasburg escaped unharmed, however, notching swinging strikeouts on both Juan Lagares and Syndergaard to keep Washington ahead 1-0.
The Mets again threatened in the seventh thanks to a pair of two-out singles from McNeil and Rosario to end Strasburg’s afternoon and usher in lefty reliever Matt Grace. J.D. Davis, pinch-hitting for Lagares, took a slider on the inside corner for strike three to strand both runners. Davis remained at third, with McNeil moving to left and Brandon Nimmo to center in the following inning.
Nimmo drew a one-out walk against Justin Miller in the eighth, but Alonso proceeded to strike out before lefty specialist Tony Sipp froze Cano on an 0-2 slider to quash the rally. Cano is now hitting .188 with eight whiffs in 32 at-bats.
With another base hit in the bottom of the ninth, Ramos (who accounted for half of the Mets’ total on the afternoon) has four multi-hit games in his first five contests in a Met uniform. His .478 average is the highest among big-league catchers, and his 1.022 OPS is the highest among the Mets’ starters.
Up Next
The Mets have off tomorrow, but will get back on the saddle for another day game this coming Saturday. Steven Matz will get the ball for New York against Patrick Corbin (Zack Wheeler will instead take the mound Sunday). First pitch will be aired on SNY at 1:10.
