Taijuan Walker tossed seven scoreless innings Sunday while J.D. Davis and Pete Alonso each cracked homers as the host New York Mets blanked the Washington Nationals 4-0 to win their weekend series.
Bouncing back from a Tuesday night loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he walked six batters over 3 2/3 innings and was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, Walker (1-1) permitted just three hits, walked three and fanned four in lowering his earned run average to 2.14.
Patrick Corbin (0-3) actually lowered his ERA to 10.47 by allowing four runs in four-plus innings. Corbin was touched for seven hits and three walks, striking out three.
An old nemesis got to Corbin in the first. With Alonso aboard after a one-out walk, Davis picked on a hanging slider and belted it an estimated 406 feet to left-center field for his second homer of the year. It was Davis’ fourth homer in 27 career at-bats off Corbin.
James McCann increased New York’s lead to 3-0 in the fourth when he grounded a single to left that scored Davis, who reached on a walk and hoofed it to third on Michael Conforto’s double.
Alonso finished off the scoring in the fifth when he drilled a 428-foot shot on a center-cut fastball. The ball landed just to the right of the Mets’ “Big Apple” beyond the center field wall. It was Alonso’s fifth homer of the year.
Washington’s best scoring chance occurred in the sixth when it put runners at second and third with two outs for Kyle Schwarber. The former Chicago Cub walloped a high fastball deep to center, but another ex-Cub, Albert Almora, Jr., showed off his defensive chops by making a leaping catch as he piled into the wall.
Miguel Castro and Edwin Diaz finished off the shutout for New York. Davis went 3-for-4 with two runs, upping his batting average to .414.
Yadiel Hernandez singled twice and also drew two walks for the Nationals.
–Field Level Media