Inside The Mets

Nats' Blast Four Homers To Thump Mets In Makeup Game

The Washington Nationals powered their way to a makeup game victory over the Mets in D.C. on Monday night.
Pat Ragazzo|
Nats' Blast Four Homers To Thump Mets In Makeup Game
Nats' Blast Four Homers To Thump Mets In Makeup Game

Before heading down to Atlanta for a three-game set with the Braves, the Mets made a detour in D.C. to play a makeup game with the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

And that's where they ran into the hottest hitter on the planet in Kyle Schawber, who tormented them again with two home runs and three RBIs to power the Nationals to a 8-4 victory.

Schwarber now has seven home runs in his last three games against the Mets. The 28-year-old is just about as hot as you can get as a hitter in the month of June, slugging 15 home runs in his last 17 games.

As for the Mets' offense, their bats remained ice cold for much of the night against the Nationals' bullpen, but they finally woke up late in the game. 

Trailing 5-0 in the top of the seventh, Jeff McNeil knocked in the Mets' first run with a two-out RBI single off Wander Suero.

In the top of the eighth, Pete Alonso cranked his 12th homer of the season off Justin Miller for a two-run shot to cut the deficit to 5-3. Alonso passed Keith Hernandez on the Mets' all-time home run list with his 81st long ball.

But that's not all, Billy McKinney, who stepped to the plate in a 3-for-28 funk, went back-to-back with Alonso for his eighth homer of the year to cut the game to 5-4.

As a result, Nationals manager Davey Martinez pulled Miller in favor of closer Brand Hand, who came on for a five-out save.

After tossing four shutout innings last Monday, Jerad Eickoff did not fare as well in his second start as a Met. The right-hander allowed five runs on three homers and eight hits, across six innings of work.

Relief pitcher Miguel Castro entered in the eighth, and found himself in a second-and-third jam with one out, after a walk and a Travis Blankenhorn error. That's when Met killer Ryan Zimmerman came to bat and sent one over the center field wall for a three-run homer to bust the game wide open at 8-4.

Although the Mets showed some life with three runs in the top of the eighth, the Nats' answered back in the bottom half with three runs of their own. 

The Nationals blasted five homers to take their third-straight win over the Mets. They also cut their deficit in the division to three games, becoming a legitimate threat to the first-place Mets.

The Mets are now 40-34 on the season, dropping their second-straight game, and ninth defeat in their last 14 contests.

Tomorrow, they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves in a three game series, before coming back to New York to face the Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the main publisher and reporter for the Mets On SI site. He has been covering the Mets since 2018. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has appeared on several major TV Networks including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is a recurring guest on ESPN New York 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM. Pat is also the Mets insider for Barstool Sports personality Frank "The Tank" Fleming’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter/X and Instagram: @ragazzoreport.

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