The Mets only scored in two innings on Monday, but it was more than enough offense as they took down the Nationals by a score of 7-3.>> Box score
Four takeaways from Monday's game
1) The Mets broke it open in the fourth, thanks to a five-run inning in which they sent nine batters to the plate. The inning started in fairly benign fashion, with Rene Rivera drawing a walk in between outs by Joe Panik and Noah Syndergaard. But then the floodgates opened. Jeff McNeil homered to make it 4-0, then back-to-back singles from Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto gave J.D. Davis a chance. He delivered a two-run double to make it 6-0, and Brandon Nimmo plated Davis with a double of his own to give the Mets a 7-0 lead.
2) Noah Syndergaard cruised through seven easy innings to earn the win, throwing just 90 pitches and allowing three hits without issuing a walk. He also struck out 10 batters to rebound from what was the worst start of his career in his last outing against the Cubs.
3) The Mets opened the scoring in the first with a pair of runs in the second to get things going. The first two runners of the inning reach as Davis singled and Nimmo walked. After Amed Rosario flied out, Panik ripped a double off the right-center field wall to score Davis, while Rivera blooped a single to right to plate Nimmo and make it 2-0.
4) Tyler Bashlor came on in to replace Syndegaard and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He stayed on and hoped to preserve the shutout in the ninth, but allowed a three-run home run to old friend Asdrubal Cabrera, forcing Edwin Diaz out of the bullpen to get the final out of the game.
Highlights
Video: Mets plate 2 against Nationals in the 2nd
Video: Jeff McNeil crushes 2-run HR to extend Mets lead
Video: J.D. Davis crushes a 2-run double, Mets up 6-0
What's next
The Mets and Nationals continue their three-game series Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. with a marquee pitching matchup, as Jacob deGrom (8-8, 2.66 ERA) opposes Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.46 ERA).