Unlikely duo powers Mets to 8-7 win over the Nationals

The Mets got timely hits from unlikely sources, with Jose Iglesias and Luis Torrens driving in three runs in a four-run fifth inning, and survived another eventful ninth inning from the bullpen an 8-7 win over the Nationals on Monday night in Washington.

Mark Vientos, Harrison Bader, Iglesias and Torrens – the six through nine hitters in the order – combined to go 6-for-15 with a home run, six RBI and two walks.

Here are the takeaways…

- The Mets made MacKenzie Gore, the Nationals’ young hard-throwing lefty, work in the early goings with Francisco Lindor earning an eight-pitch walk to start the game and Starling Marte, on the 11th pitch he saw, cashing in on a single to start the second inning.

New York got on the board after Mate stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch ball four to Vientos and came home on Bader’s sacrifice fly to center.

With two down in the second, Pete Alonso got a chance with the bases loaded after a single from Iglesias and Lindor was hit by the pitch, but the first baseman's flyball to left was caught just short of the track.

- Veintos cranked the first pitch of the fourth inning 420 feet to left for a home run (104.7 mph off the bat). It was the third baseman’s fifth of the year and put the Mets up 2-1.

Iglesias followed with a one-out single to center for his second hit of the night and after stealing second base came around to score on a two-out single from Lindor, giving him 30 RBI on the season.

-  The Mets again got something cooking with one out in the fifth when a Marte single sandwiched by two walks loaded the bases and ended Gore’s night. And this time, they didn’t leave them loaded.

Bader, after falling behind Nats reliever Dylan Floro 0-2, grabbed his second RBI of the game with a 384-foot sac fly to deep center. Iglesias notched his third hit of the night with an RBI single to left before Torrens, down in the count 0-2, served a slider to the wall in right-center for an opposite-field two RBI double to put New York up 7-4.

- Marte collected his third hit of the night in the sixth and the Mets added an eigth run on an error on the play. The right fielder is beginning to heat up, collecting his fourth multi-hit game in the last five and is nine for his last 19.

- In the ninth, Adam Ottavino got a first-pitch strike before tossing four straight out of the zone to walk Luis Garcia Jr. before hitting Keibert Ruiz with the first pitch to put the tying run.

After a mound visit, the righty got Nick Senzel to fly out down the line in right. But he then allowed an RBI single to Jesse Winker and an Ildemaro Vargas single to load the bases.

Carlos Mendoza called for Jake Diekman, who fell behind 3-0 to pinch-hitter Joey Meneses before trading a run for an out on a deep sac fly to center. Diekman closed the door on the eventful ninth by freezing Drew Millas on an 0-2 pitch.

- Tylor Megill got stung by the Mets’ defense early. He was able to work around a one-out error in the first by striking out the next two Nats swinging, first on the curve and then on the cutter.

But the Nationals plated an unearned run in the second after Bader had a bead on a liner to the gap in right-center but allowed the ball to pop out of his glove for a leadoff two-base error. Three pitches later a Winker single put the Nats on the board.

Megill ran into trouble in the fourth with back-to-back one-out singles to cover the corners. The Mets’ righty induced a weak grounder to Alonso, but the Mets couldn’t get the relay back to first in time for an inning-ending double play and a run scored. Megill left a 0-1 fastball leak over the inner part of the plate to Joey Gallo and paid for it with a two-run homer to put Washington ahead 4-3.

Pitching again with a lead in the fifth, Megill got pinged for three straight hard-hit balls and had the bases loaded with two down on a walk and two singles. After a mound visit from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Megill walked in a run on four straight pitches but limited the damage to just one run.

On the night, the Nationals knocked around the Mets' starter for five balls with exit velocities over 102 mph, and four others at 99 mph.

Megill’s final line: 5.0 innings, seven hits, five runs (four earned) with three walks and four strikeouts on 87 pitches (49 strikes).

- Adrian Houser was the first man out of the ‘pen and allowed a pair of hits his first inning, but delivered a scoreless sixth and seventh. However, after retiring the leadoff man in the eighth, he walked the eight and nine hitters in the Nationals lineup to bring the tying run to the plate.

Drew Smith, making his first appearance after a six-week stint on the IL, got Lane Thomas to pop out and got Eddie Rosario to chase a ball out of the zone on a 3-2 pitch to strand two runners.

- Alonso had a rough night at the plate, he finished 0-for-5 with two strikeouts (0-for-2 with runners in scoring position) and left four on base. The second strikeout came on a pitch clock violation in the eighth.

- Torrens got a look behind the plate for the second-straight game as the Mets will have a decision to make soon with Franciso Alvarez likely coming off the IL next week. He went 1-for-4 at the plate with three strikeouts but had a big hit in the game and threw out a would-be base stealer at second with a perfect throw in the second.

Highlights

MVP of the Game: Jose Iglesias

Iglesias, starting in place of a slumping Jeff McNeil, bounced back from his first-inning error on a foolish toss to first base by finishing the day 3-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored.

What's next

The Mets play their final two games on U.S. soil in the nation's capital before heading to London for the weekend series.

Left-hander David Peterson makes his second start of the year for the visitors. The Nationals are sending out their tough righty-hander Trevor Williams (2.22 ERA, 47 strikeouts in 56.2 innings).