Sep 4, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Lane Thomas (28) celebrates after hitting a home run against the New York Mets in the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Alcides Escobar and Lane Thomas both hit home runs as the Washington Nationals snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the visiting New York Mets in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday night.
Left-hander Josh Rogers (1-0), called up as the 29th man for the doubleheader and making his Nationals debut, allowed three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Rogers, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2019 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, walked three and struck out five as Washington (56-79) won for just the eighth time in its last 32 games.
The Mets (68-68), despite blowing a 9-0 lead, won the opener, 11-9, in nine innings on a two-run home run by Francisco Lindor.
Kyle Finnegan, who gave up the game-winning homer to Lindor in the opener, bounced back to strike out Pete Alonso with a runner on second to end the second game and notch his seventh save.
Kevin Pillar homered and Michael Conforto went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for New York which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Tylor Megill (2-4) took the complete-game loss allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings while striking out eight.
The Mets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Jonathan Villar led off with a walk, advanced to third on Alonso’s double off the wall in right-center and scored on a single by Conforto.
Thomas led off the bottom of the first with his second homer of the season, a 402-foot drive to center to tie it, 1-1. Escobar followed with a single and one out later advanced to third on a single by Josh Bell. Carter Kieboom then singled to right to drive in Escobar and give the Nationals a 2-1 lead.
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Washington extended its lead to 4-1 in the fifth on Escobar’s second home run of the season, a 400-foot drive into the front row of the bleachers in center that drove in Luis Garcia, who opened the inning with a double.
New York cut it to 4-3 in the sixth when Conforto led off with a single and scored one out later on Pillar’s 13th homer of the season.
–Field Level Media