Francisco Lindor hit two home runs with five RBIs and the visiting New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 5-1 on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Lindor had a pair of two-run homers sandwiched around an RBI-single as New York ended Washington’s five-game winning streak in the seven-inning contest.
Aaron Loup (2-0) was credited with the win after getting the final out in the fifth inning. Mets starter David Peterson allowed a run on two hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six.
Trea Turner had a double and two singles for Washington, which went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Nationals starter Joe Ross (3-7) pitched five innings, giving up five runs on six hits. Reliever Austin Voth pitched a scoreless sixth inning in his first appearance since suffering a broken nose while batting against the Phillies on June 6.
The Mets ended a pair of negative streaks in the first inning. Jonathan Villar led off by grounding a single to left. Lindor then homered to left-center off a 2-0 sinker, snapping an 0-for-11 personal stretch and ending a 21-inning scoreless streak for New York.
Lindor made it 3-0 in the third when his single scored Peterson, who was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and then sacrificed to second by Villar.
In the fifth, Peterson doubled for his first major league hit and Lindor homered over the Nationals bullpen in right on a 2-1 sinker to give the Mets a 5-0 lead. It was Lindor’s eighth of the season.
The Nationals got to Peterson in the fifth. Turner capped an 11-pitch at-bat with a two-out double to left that ended Peterson’s day. Loup came on to face Juan Soto, who singled, scoring Turner. Josh Bell walked, but Loup struck out Josh Harrison to end the inning.
In the sixth, Washington got a pair of one-out walks, but Ryan Zimmerman and Kyle Schwarber grounded out.
Turner singled to open the seventh off reliever Trevor May and Soto walked, but Bell grounded into a double play and Harrison struck out to end the game.
–Field Level Media