WASHINGTON — The message the Mets have been making an attempt to rally round would possibly as properly have come from Crash Davis himself: One sport at a time.
They’ve now received three straight after opening a collection towards the Washington Nationals with an 8-1 win Tuesday night time at Nationals Park. The entire floor misplaced within the NL East and Wild Card races amid a dismal 2-14 stretch can’t be made up instantly, however stringing collectively stable wins just like the final three signify a step in the suitable route.
“We haven’t played a game like that in a while, it feels like,” stated supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “It was a good start. I’ve been saying it — we’ve got good players and we’re a good team, we’ve just got to go out there and do it. And we did that today.”
Left-hander David Peterson threw eight innings, carrying a shutout into the eighth inning earlier than permitting an earned run. Benefitting from a five-run top-third, Peterson (8-5) restricted the Nats to 1 run on 4 hits, strolling one and placing out 10.
It was a stellar efficiency, and the kind the Mets have not often seen since their rotation was decimated in June. Regardless of double-digit strikeouts, Peterson’s efficiency wasn’t flashy or overly dominating. As an alternative, it was environment friendly and methodical. Peterson used his sinker to induce ground-balls, and a changeup beneath the zone obtained whiffs.
Precisely what the Mets wanted.
“Just being aggressive, getting ahead early in the count, and staying on the attack,” Peterson stated. “[Catcher Luis Torrens] did a great job, and I felt like we were on the same page all night, which helps. Plus, great defense, as always, behind us. I’s a great team win, and good to get the first one in the series.”
It was the primary begin of six or extra innings since Aug. 8 for a Mets starter. The workers workhorse, the final time the Mets obtained a starter via seven full innings was July 10. Shock, shock, it was Peterson.
“It was nice,” Mendoza stated of getting a pitcher via eight innings. “I’m not going to lie.”
It got here on the heels of his worst outing of the season. Peterson made 5 straight begins with six extra or extra innings earlier than final week when he gave up six earned runs to the Atlanta Braves, failing to make it via the fourth inning. Whereas not proof against blowups, Peterson has been remarkably constant, presumably the closest factor to a slump-proof starter the Mets have.
He obtained into one jam, with runners on the corners and one out within the sixth. Within the eighth, he gave up a leadoff triple to Dylan Crews, who scored on a double play. Peterson then fell behind on Jacob Younger, the No. 9 hitter, going 2-0 earlier than getting the middle fielder to take a sinker for a strike, and swing via a changeup to go 2-2.
Younger didn’t chew on the changeup the second time he noticed it, taking ball 3. However he checked out a sinker on the prime of the zone for strike 3, ending the inning.
The changeup wasn’t precisely the important thing for Peterson, however towards a crew that chases lots of pitches outdoors of the zone, it was an efficient complementary pitch that he was in a position to make use of as soon as he obtained forward within the rely.
“The changeup was really good,” Mendoza stated. “And for him to go eight, it was really good. [He was] solid, in complete control. Which is good to see, especially after the last outing, for him to bounce back that way.”
With the lineup now not chilly, the Mets hung six runs on right-hander Jake Irvin (8-7) over six innings, scoring 5 occasions within the third inning. Mark Vientos, Juan Soto, Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil every homered within the sport, with McNeil going 3-for-4 with a two-run double, his tenth dwelling run of the season and two runs scored. He got here a triple away from the cycle and prolonged his hitting streak to 6 video games.
McNeil hasn’t precisely carried the offense over the past month, however he’s higher than most, simply as Peterson has pitched higher than most. Lastly, they’re getting some much-needed manufacturing round them. The Nats is perhaps useless final within the NL East at 50-75, but when the Mets (66-58) are going to make up the aforementioned floor within the division, they should capitalize towards groups like Washington.
With 16 video games in 16 days, the Mets will take each win they’ll get, however getting again to enjoying the kind of baseball they performed in April and Could is a victory in and of itself.
“We’ve been grinding a little bit, and it’s no secret,” McNeil stated. “So you know, it’s nice to get out and swing the bat well, pitching, pitching was great, and it’s a great way to start a really long road trip, and a lot of games in a row. It’s huge.”
Initially Revealed: August 19, 2025 at 9:05 PM EDT
