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The Mets played until nearly midnight, battling through a lightning delay and torrential downpours for nearly two hours Thursday night at Citi Field. When they resumed play in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth with one out and the bases loaded against the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, Mark Canha gave them all they needed with a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Pete Alonso.
Alonso came sliding in just ahead of the tag to help the Mets (48-54) defeat the Nationals, 2-1.
Every win is crucial for the Amazins’ right now and this one was no different. The Mets have continued a frustrating pattern of taking steps forward, only to take more of them back, since the All-Star break. They’ve been no closer to reaching their goal of getting into the Wild Card mix, but they have a chance to gain ground this weekend against lowly Washington.
In the first game of the series, the last one before Tuesday’s trade deadline, one of Washington’s future stars bested right-hander Kodai Senga. Right-hander Josiah Gray, who was traded to the Nationals (43-60) in the deal for Max Scherzer two years ago, tossed six scoreless innings and limited the Mets to only two hits. The New Rochelle native walked three but got out of trouble each time.
As has been the case this season, the Mets did hit a few balls hard. Brandon Nimmo nearly hit one out in the second inning with the bases loaded, but it tailed and fell short of the left field stands into Corey Dickerson’s glove to end the inning. In the third, Jeff McNeil hit one 343 feet for an out and Pete Alonso hit one 361 feet right after.
Senga shut out the Nats for five innings before allowing a run in the sixth. Washington scraped to push one across and they finally did, loading the bases with one out and scoring on a fly ball to left field. Senga then hit former Mets first baseman Dominic Smith to load them once more, but Dickerson popped out to end the inning.
Senga limited the Nats to one earned run on two hits over six innings, walking three and striking out five before handing the game over to David Peterson in the seventh.
Peterson (3-7) kept the Mets in the game with two scoreless innings. But then the Mets warmed up David Robertson before the rain delay, which effectively took the closer out of action. However, Brooks Raley came in and retired the side to convert his second save of the season.
It wasn’t much, but it counted and the Mets lived to fight another day.
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