The New York Mets won their second straight game against the Washington Nationals, 5-4, as the Mets came from behind with two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off base hit to right from Francisco Lindor to cap the rally and get the victory.
This was a back-and-forth battle, with the Mets getting on the board in the top of the first as Brad Lord struggled to throw strikes, and he walked three of the first four hitters to load the bases. Jared Young made him pay with an opposite-field double to make it 2-0, but the Mets wasted an opportunity to get more in what could have been a blowout inning.
Mets starter Sean Manaea put up three straight zeroes to start the game, but Andres Chaparro got Washington on the board with a solo homer to left in the first. That cut the Mets lead in half and made it 2-1.
The Nats took the lead in the seventh as the Mets tried to stretch Manaea out a little too long, with Brady House taking Manaea deep with a three-run homer to make it 4-1.
The Mets got one back in the sixth on Carson Benge’s solo homer off Washington reliever Tom Cosgrove to make it 4-2, but the game remained scoreless for the rest of the way, which set the stage for the ninth.
That was when the Mets came back off reliever Yovanny Cruz. Brett Baty started the winning rally with a walk, and Jorge Polanco singled him to second. Francisco Alvarez doubled to score Baty and tie it up at 4-4, but A.J. Ewing struck out and Washington decided to pitch to Lindor with an open base.
Lindo made them pay with a line drive over the head of right fielder Dylan Crews, and the Mets got a walk-off win that was their eighth in their last 11 games. Jefrey Yan got the win as he got five straight outs after coming in for Dedniel Nunez, who picked up Manaea.
The Mets are now four games behind Washington in the NL East, which might be worth paying attention to, especially if the Mets can come through tomorrow and get the series sweep. It would be an unlikely turn of events, but stranger things have happened, and the Mets will send Christian Scott to the mound against Jake Irvin for the Nationals in the series finale.