Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz homered to provide the bookends in an eight-run outburst over the first two innings against Tylor Megill Wednesday night as the host Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 8-3.
The win was the second in the last seven games for the Nationals. The Mets need a win in Thursday’s series finale to remain unbeaten in series this season (8-0-1).
Megill appeared primed to continue his breakout campaign — he started a combined no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 29 and posted a 2.43 ERA in his first six starts — when the Mets raced out to a 3-0 lead against Aaron Sanchez (2-2) in the top of the first.
But the Nationals batted around while scoring five runs in the bottom half against Megill (4-2). Cesar Hernandez led off with a single and scored on Soto’s homer. Megill then hit Josh Bell with a pitch before Bell was forced on a grounder by Cruz, who went to third on Yadiel Hernandez’s double. Keibert Ruiz (single), Maikel Franco (sacrifice fly) and Dee Strange-Gordon (single) followed with RBIs.
Megill remained in the game but got just one out in the second, when Cesar Hernandez and Bell sandwiched singles around a Soto strikeout. Cruz followed with a long homer to center and Megill’s night ended when he walked Yadiel Hernandez.
The eight runs allowed were a career high for Megill, whose ERA rose to 4.41. He is the 11th pitcher this season to allow at least eight runs in a start.
Sanchez recovered from the rough first inning — Brandon Nimmo led off with a double and scored when Franco threw the ball away on Starling Marte’s infield single before Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer — and retired 11 straight before he exited after being hit on the left wrist by an Alonso comebacker with one out in the sixth. Sanchez gave up six hits and walked none while striking out one.
Nimmo finished with three hits for the Mets while Luis Guillorme had two hits. Trevor Williams and Stephen Nogosek combined to allow two hits over the final 6 2/3 innings.
Cesar Hernandez had three hits for the Nationals, who got 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief from Austin Voth, Victor Arano and Paolo Espino.
–Field Level Media