The Mets turned to some late-inning dramatics for the second night in a row, as Juan Lagares and Rajai Davis delivered a pair of huge hits in the eighth inning of the Mets' 6-1 win over Washington. >> Box score
Five things to know about Wednesday's game
1) The Mets received some late-game clutch hitting for the second night in a row on Wednesday. The Nats' bullpen loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Juan Lagares delivered the clutch blow, raking a double into the left-center gap to give the Mets the 3-1 lead. After an intentional walk to Wilson Ramos, Rajai Davis lined a three-run shot to left in his first at-bat as a Met, extending the lead to 6-1.
2 ) Jacob deGrom entered Wednesday's game looking for a bounce-back performance, and that's exactly what he delivered. After giving up a season-high seven runs to the Marlins in his last start, deGrom kept the Nats at bay for most of the night on Wednesday, pitching six innings while allowing just two hits and striking out eight Nationals. Adam Eaton's solo blast was the only real blemish against deGrom's ledger.
3) On the other side, Max Scherzer also rounded back into form. The Nationals had lost eight of his first 10 starts, but he pitched well on Wednesday, limiting the Mets to just four hits while stirking out nine through his six innings. The Mets did force Scherzer to throw 109 pitches, which led to his night ending after six.
4) The injury bug bit the Mets yet again on Wednesday. Robinson Cano was pulled from the game after making the final out in the bottom of the third inning. Cano came up limping after trying to run out a ground ball. The Mets later announced that he left the game with left quad tightness. Brandon Nimmo was also placed on the injured list with neck stiffness.
5) Eaton's name has been in the New York headlines over the past couple of days for his on-field beef with Todd Frazier, but the Nats' outfielder delivered at the plate on Wednesday, launching a first-inning solo home run.
What's next
Steven Matz (3-3, 3.96 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (4-3, 3.32 ERA) face off in the finale of the four-game set at Citi Field on Thursday at 12:10 p.m., with the Mets looking for the sweep.