– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
WASHINGTON — In a game where the New York Mets offense let many good opportunities slip away, it was a couple of sacrifice flies and one timely hit — along with their ever-present dominant starting pitching — that allowed the team just enough breathing room in posting another impressive win.
Jeff McNeil’s game-tying two-run double in the sixth inning, sacrifice flies from James McCann and J.D. Davis, and another quality start from Carlos Carrasco carried the Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday evening. McNeil and Francisco Lindor had two hits each as the Mets won their second straight.
As a team, the Mets went only 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, but half of those hits came in the top of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and the Mets down 2-0, as McNeil’s scorching line drive ate up Washington first baseman Josh Bell and went into right field to score Pete Alonso and Davis to tie the game. McCann followed with a sacrifice fly to right to score Eduardo Escobar to cap a three-run inning and give the Mets their first lead.
Carrasco, who gave up an RBI double in the fourth inning to Maikel Franco and a solo home run in the fifth inning to Riley Adams, produced a shutdown inning in the bottom of the sixth after New York took the lead, and recorded the first two outs of the seventh before Drew Smith came in and threw a scoreless inning. Smith did not have to retire a batter in the seventh, as the Mets caught Dee Strange-Gordon stealing at second base to end the inning.
With a runner on first and two outs in the eighth, lefty reliever Joely Rodriguez came in and retired Juan Soto on a foul pop to Escobar at third. Edwin Díaz tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.
Bell and designated hitter Nelson Cruz each went 2-for-4, but Franco’s double in the fourth was the only hit out of eight for the Nationals that went extra bases. Patrick Corbin, who came in with an ERA over seven, pitched five scoreless innings and struck out five, as he navigated his way around four walks to pitch his way out of trouble on a number of occasions throughout his start.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 17 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
