Starling Marte and rookie Nick Plummer each had three hits, a homer and four RBIs as the host New York Mets pounded out 16 hits and routed the Washington Nationals 13-5 on Monday night.
Francisco Lindor had three hits and two RBIs for the Mets, who won their fourth consecutive game by erasing an early 3-0 deficit. New York’s Pete Alonso added a solo shot.
Colin Holderman (2-0) relieved Mets starter David Peterson with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and retired Maikel Franco on a popup to end the inning. Holderman then pitched the sixth and permitted a run, ending a streak of 8 1/3 scoreless innings to begin his major league career.
Peterson allowed six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Washington starter Erick Fedde (3-4) was tagged for eight hits and six runs in 1 1/3 innings. Bell and Cesar Hernandez each had three hits for the Nationals, who had won four of their previous five games.
With one out and the bases loaded in the top of the first, Washington’s Josh Bell sliced a two-run single to deep right. Lane Thomas followed with a sacrifice fly to nearly the same spot, with right fielder Marte making a nice running catch. After a walk to Franco, Victor Robles grounded to second to end the inning.
New York answered quickly, putting up six runs in the first two innings. Luis Guillorme and Marte opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles to center, and Lindor ground an RBI single to right to cut the gap to 3-1. A walk to Alonso filled the bases, and Jeff McNeil’s double-play grounder scored another run, but Eduardo Escobar’s flyout ended the inning.
In the New York second, Mark Canha led off with a single to center and scored on Plummer’s double to left-center. After Robles made a fine diving catch on Tomas Nido’s liner to center, Guillorme’s single to left drove in Plummer to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. Marte’s fifth homer of the season, to left, made it 6-3. Fedde finally left after Lindor’s single up the middle.
Marte added a two-run, bases-loaded single to left in the third off reliever Andres Machado, and Lindor followed with a run-scoring single. That gave the Mets a 9-3 advantage.
Plummer hit a three-run, opposite-field homer to left in the fourth off Austin Voth, the second of his career and second in as many games.
New York center fielder Brandon Nimmo (wrist) missed his third straight game.
First base umpire Greg Gibson left the game in the bottom of the second inning with an unknown issue. He motioned for a trainer and walked off under his own power. The game was completed with a three-umpire crew.
–Field Level Media