Washington Nationals drop series finale to Jacob deGrom and New York Mets, 5-1 final

Dusty Baker’s Washington Nationals started the day with a six-game winning streak in New York to start the season, and a shot at their first sweep of a four-game set in Citi Field since September 9-12, 2013. It didn’t happen, however.

Terry Collins’ Mets took the series finale behind a strong start by Jacob deGrom, who also hit his first home run in the majors in what ended up a 5-1 win.

deGrom, coming off a complete game against the Chicago Cubs, held the Nationals to one unearned run on three hits over eight innings this afternoon.

Nats’ starter Joe Ross gave up nine hits and four runs (two earned) in six innings on the mound in Flushing, Queens.

Ryan Zimmerman’s sac fly in the first put the Nationals up 1-0 early, but deGrom tied it up with one swing in the third and the Mets piled on runs and never looked back in the sweep-avoiding win.

Nationals now 42-27

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED:

• An E:4, single, passed ball, and sac fly put the Nats up 1-0 early with Brian Goodwin reaching on an error by Wilmer Flores, taking second base on a single to left by Bryce Harper, moving up on the passed ball, and scoring on Ryan Zimmerman’s sac fly to right field.

• Joe Ross gave up a one-out walk (to Lucas Duda) and a two-out double (by T.J. Rivera), but Ryan Zimmerman made a diving play at first on an low, opposite field liner off of Travis d’Arnaud’s bat to take away a potential two-run hit and preserve the Nationals’ 1-0 lead. 39 pitches for Ross in 2.0 scoreless.

• Jacob “DIY” deGrom took a first-pitch sinker from Joe Ross to left for an opposite field home run in the first at bat of the Mets’ half of the third, tying the game with one swing with his first major league homer, 1-1.

• Daniel Murphy lost a pop to short right by Lucas Duda in the sun and let it drop in for a hit, and one out later T.J. Rivera singled to right to put two on for the Mets. Travis d’Arnaud lined a single to center in the next at bat that brought Duda in ahead of a throw in from Michael A. Taylor, but Matt Wieters couldn’t hold on the ball on the play at the plate, 2-1 Mets.

• T.J. Rivera scored in the fourth as well, coming home on a hard-hit grounder to third by Michael Conforto that Anthony Rendon dove for but couldn’t hold onto, 3-1 NY.

• Trea Turner stole his third base of the game off Jacob deGrom and Mets’ catcher Travis d’Arnaud in the fifth, but he was stranded at second at the end of the inning.

• T.J. Rivera singled to start the sixth, moved up on a one-out sac bunt by deGrom and scored on an RBI single by Michael Conforto to put the Mets up, 4-1.

• Joe Ross’s Line: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 103 P, 66 S, 7/4 GO/FO.

• Jacob deGrom was up to seven straight outs and 13 of 14 set down after a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 top of the seventh in Citi Field.

• Matt Grace gave up a leadoff walk to Jay Bruce in the Mets’ half of the seventh, and Bruce scored two outs later on the fourth hit of the game by T.J. Rivera, 5-1.

• deGrom worked around a single in an 11-pitch eighth, striking Bryce Harper out to end the frame at 105 pitches total.

• Jacob deGrom’s Line: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 105 P, 65 S, 9/4 GO/FO.

• Jacob Turner tossed a scoreless eighth, and Addison Reed wrapped things up with a scoreless top of the ninth in a non-save situation... though Daniel Murphy did extend his on-base streak against the Mets with a double in the ninth.

NATIONALS PREGAME NOTES:

• Washington improved to 124-106 in their all-time series with the New York Mets with Saturday’s win, and the Nationals are 40-24 against their NL East rivals since 2014.
• The Nationals have now win six in a row in Citi Field this season and 10 of 12 in the Mets’ home, and they are 54-28 in Flushing, Queens, NY since it opened in 2009.
• New York’s six-game home losing streak against Washington, “... is the fourth-longest in team history and the longest since they lost a franchise record 12 consecutive home games to Washington from June 30, 2013-September 11, 2014.”
• The Nationals’ last sweep of a four-game series against the Mets in NY came back on September 9-12, 2013.
• Washington’s 42-26 record on the year is the fourth-best in the NL, behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks (43-26), LA Dodgers (43-26), and Colorado Rockies (45-26).
• Daniel Murphy extended his on-base streak against the Mets to 28-straight games on Saturday, and he’s now hitting .396 against New York since he he left the Mets to sign with the Nationals.
• Washington’s offense led the NL in AVG (.276), OBP (.341), SLG (.477), extra-base hits, (256), runs scored (377), RBIs (369).
• On this date in Nationals’ history, June 18, 2006, Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off home run off Chien-Ming Wang to beat the Yankees in RFK Stadium.

Nationals now 42-27