Mets drop 4th straight game after Nationals shut down offense again
With myriad injuries to pitchers and a suspension to an ace in the starting rotation, manager Buck Showalter needed Kodai Senga to go deep into Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Nationals.
Senga was able to reach the fifth inning, minimizing damage after a rough couple of innings in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss against the Nationals at Citi Field.
The right-hander was up to 85 pitches before the start of the fifth inning, mainly because of a rough second and fourth. The righty allowed the leadoff man to reach base in the first four innings.
In the second inning, Senga walked catcher Keibert Ruiz and gave up a double to former Met Dominic Smith. No. 7 hitter Lane Thomas got the Nationals on the board first, hitting an infield single that scored Ruiz. Former Padres prospect CJ Abrams singled to left, scoring Smith and extending the lead to 2-0.
Senga allowed another walk in the frame but got three strikeouts to get out of the inning.
After a relatively quiet top of the third, Senga walked Thomas, who started in right field, to start the fourth. Abrams singled to right and Senga looked like he would allow more runs after a wild pitch later in the inning that advanced runners into scoring position with just one out.
But Senga got left fielder Alex Call to strike out swinging on his signature ghost fork and second baseman Luis Garcia grounded out to third.
Reliever Jeff Brigham warmed up in the bullpen, but Senga was able to get through the fifth inning with just nine pitches. Showalter pulled Senga after 94 pitches over five innings. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, four walks and struck out seven. Senga’s ERA now sits at 4.15.
Mackenzie Gore, former third overall pick in the 2017 draft, got the start for the Nationals and kept the Mets’ lineup quiet for the second night in a row. Eduardo Escobar hit a triple in the third and later scored after a Starling Marte single.
Gore allowed just two more hits on the night and walked two batters. He threw 101 pitches over six innings, allowing one run and striking out a career-high 10 hitters.
Brigham, who has been sharp for his new team, allowed his first hit this season — and it was a big mistake. The righty’s first hit given up this season was a solo shot to right field hit by third baseman Jeimer Candelario. Brigham gave up one more hit but didn’t allow another run in 1.2 innings of work.
The Mets threatened to score in the seventh after reliever Hunter Harvey walked Brett Baty and Daniel Vogelbach — who pinch hit for Escobar, and Tomas Nido, respectively. Both runners advanced after Brandon Nimmo grounded out but Marte struck out swinging to strand the runners
Star Francisco Lindor struck out in just three pitches to end the inning, keeping the Nationals’ 3-1 lead intact.
The Nationals added another run in the eighth after Call’s RBI single off of Adam Ottavino.
Showalter’s squad also wasn’t sharp on defense Wednesday, as they committed three errors on the night. The loss marks the team’s first four-game losing streak under Showalter, who began managing the Mets last season.
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