Washington Nationals crush New York Mets, 25-4 in blowout in D.C.

Across the scoreboard in the first five innings tonight, 7-3-3-3-3, but the Nationals came up empty in the sixth in a disappointing frame in Washington, D.C., though he home team was up 19-0 on the New York Mets at that point.

Tanner Roark was up to 80 pitches after he’d worked through six scoreless innings in what ended up a 25-4 win. That’s right, 25-4...

“I believe in this team,” Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo...

“Especially when the opposing team is grooving fastballs all night.” - Wiseacres at FBB.

Roark vs Mets: Tanner Roark earned his first win since June 12th last time out, with eight scoreless on the mound in Miller Park over which he struck out 11 of 28 batters and gave up only a walk and three hits.

“If he can do this every start we’ll be in great shape. But we know he can do that. That’s the Tanner that we know, so we’ll just keep building from there,” Davey Martinez told reporters after that game.

“Everything felt good,” Roark said. “I just felt compact, and then over the rubber, my head back and everything, and just explosive.”

Going up against the Mets again after facing them in New York’s Citi Field earlier this month (and giving up eight hits, two walks, and four runs), Roark continued to show signs of life as he tossed five scoreless on 72 pitches as the Nationals jumped out to a 7-0 lead after one, a 10-0 lead after two, 13-0 after three, 16-0 after four, and 19-0 after five.

Roark was up to 80 pitches after an eight-pitch sixth, but he finally gave up a run in the top of the seventh, when Jeff McNeil hit his first major league home run to right field to get the Mets on the board, down 19-1.

Tanner Roark’s Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, 1 HR, 94 P, 68 S, 7/5 GO/FO.

Roark: 16-28-39-56-72-80-93

Matz vs the Nats: Facing the Nationals for the third time in 2018 earlier this month in New York, Mets’ left-hander Steven Matz gave up eight hits, two walks, and three earned runs over 6 ²⁄₃ IP in what ended up a 5-4 loss.

That outing left Matz with an (0-1) record, a 3.52 ERA, five walks, 18 Ks, and a .246/.306/.404 line against in 15 ¹⁄₃ IP against Washington this season.

Matz took the mound with a total of 20 innings on the mound in Nationals Park in his career in which he hadn’t given up an earned run (allowing just one unearned one), but that didn’t last long.

First it was a single by Trea Turner, who stole second, then third, and scored on an RBI line drive double to right field by Bryce Harper, 1-0. Harper scored on an RBI single by Ryan Zimmerman, 2-0, and Zimmerman scored on an RBI single by Daniel Murphy, 3-0, before an intentional walk to Matt Wieters loaded the bases in front of Nats’ starter Tanner Roark, who lined the first pitch he saw into left-center for a base-clearing double that made it 6-0, and it was 7-0 when Anthony Rendon singled to bring Roark in and knock Matz out, after 32 total pitches in ²⁄₃ of an inning. Ouch.

Steven Matz’s Line: 0.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 32 P, 22 S.

Hit Leader Zim: Ryan Zimmerman started tonight’s matchup in Washington, D.C. one hit shy of the Nationals/Expos’ all-time record for hits, tied with Montreal’sTim Wallach (1,694).

Zimmerman picked it up in his first at bat, sending a ground ball through the right side, off Mets’ first baseman Wilmer Flores’s glove to pick up No. 1,695. Congrats, Zim. #eMb

Zimmerman picked up hit No. 1,696 in the fourth, when he hit a two-out, two-run home run to right to make it 16-0. 2 for 4, 3 RBIs.

Murphy ❤️s the Mets: Daniel Murphy started the night 2 for 7 against the Mets this season, in limited action since he started the campaign late, but in his career, NY’s ‘06 13th Round pick was 56 for 147 (.381/.442/.680) with 13 doubles, two triples, and nine homers against his former team since signing with the Nationals, and he went 3 for 3 with two home runs and six RBIs in his first three trips to the plate as the Nationals jumped out to a 13-0 lead.

He ended the night 3 for 4...

BULLPEN ACTION: Mets’ righty Jacob Rhame took over for Steven Matz with two out in the first, and recorded the last out. He came back out for the second inning as well, but a one-out single by Juan Soto was followed by a two-run home run to right by Daniel Murphy, who crushed a first-pitch fastball and cleared the out-of-town scoreboard with his third homer of 2018, 9-0.

Michael A. Taylor tripled to center in the next at bat, and scored on an RBI single by Matt Wieters, 10-0.

Anthony Rendon singled and Bryce Harper walked in the first two at bats of the third, and Rhame got two outs before he grooved a fastball to Daniel Murphy, whose third hit of the game was his second home run, a three-run blast that made it 13-0. 3 for 3, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs.

Tim Peterson, who took over on the mound for the Mets in the third, came back out in the fourth... and got hammered. Anthony Rendon (who walked more than he K’d in college) walked with two out, and scored on an RBI double to right by Bryce Harper, and Harper came in on a two-run home run to right by Ryan Zimmerman. No. 6 of 2018 for Zim, 16-0 Nationals.

Tyler Bashlor threw way inside on Daniel Murphy in the first at bat of the Nationals’ half of the fifth, getting another humorous (though decidedly unamused reaction out of Murphy), and the Nationals ended up making him pay, with Michael A. Taylor walking with one out, Tanner Roark singling, and Trea Turner walking as well, to load the bases in front of Rendon, whose 26th double of the season cleared the bases and made it a 19-0 game.

Wander Suero took over for the Nationals in the eighth (after Jerry Blevins and Drew Smith managed to keep the Nats off the board in the sixth and seventh). Suero, who got called up after Brandon Kintzler got traded today, struck out three in a 29-pitch frame.

Jose Reyes pitched for the Mets in the bottom of the eighth, giving up a two-run shot to right by Matt Adams that had to be reviewed before it was ruled a home run, 21-1, and it ended up 24-1 after Mark Reynolds hit a three-run jack (following two one-out walks).

Trea Turner singled and scored on an RBI triple by Wilmer Difo, 25-1.

Shawn Kelley gave up three runs in the ninth, 25-4.

Ballgame.

Final Score: 25-4 Nationals

Nationals now 53-53