Washington Nationals sweep two-game set with New York Mets with 5-3 win...

Tommy Milone put together another solid outing in his second start of the season for the Washington Nationals, striking out nine in seven innings over which he gave up just one, and Trea Turner scored three of the Nats’ five runs in a 5-3 win over the New York Mets in the nation’s capital, as the home team completed a sweep of the two-game set.

Milone vs the Mets: Tommy Milone made 20 starts for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs before he got the call to take Stephen Strasburg’s spot in the rotation after the right-hander went back on the Disabled List last week.

Milone, 31, was (7-4) with the Nationals’ top affiliate, with a 4.19 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 24 walks (1.97 BB/9), and 113 Ks (9.27 K/9) in 109 ²⁄₃ IP. He returned to the majors for the first time in 2018 with a five-inning start in which he gave up three runs, all of them in the first inning of his start in Miami.

Back in the nation’s capital today, in his first start in Nationals Park since he faced them as part of the Mets’ rotation last August, the left-hander got off to a strong start, retiring the first seven batters he faced and completing four scoreless on 59 pitches as the Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

Jose Reyes hit a first-pitch curve out to left with one down in the fifth, however, getting the visiting team on the board, 3-1.

Milone retired the next five batters to get through six on 81 pitches, and a 16-pitch, 1-2-3 seventh made it eight straight set down and 97 pitches overall.

Tommy Milone’s Line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 Ks, 97 P, 69 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

Thor for New Yor-k: Noah Syndergaard, who held the Nationals to one run on seven hits in five innings in Citi Field in the final series before the All-Star Break, took the mound today against Washington in the nation’s capital with a six-start unbeaten streak going, though it stretched back to May and over a close to two-month stint on the Disabled List.

Over the course of that streak, the 25-year-old righty had a 2.65 ERA, nine walks, 34 Ks, and a .290/.343/.382 line against in 34 IP.

Looking to help the Mets avoid a sweep in the quick, two-game set in D.C., Syndergaard gave up a run in the first, with Trea Turner grounding into a force at second, then stealing second, and scoring on a two-out RBI single to center field by Bryce Harper, 1-0.

Turner doubled to start the third, and stole third, and trotted home when Anthony Rendon hit a 2-2 curve out to left field for a two-run homer that made it 3-0 Nationals. HR No. 16 of 2018 for Rendon.

Syndergaard retired the next 12 batters he faced, getting through the sixth on 75 pitches, and worked around a leadoff single by Daniel Murphy in a scoreless, 16-pitch seventh that ended his day.

Noah Syndegaard’s Line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 91 P, 54 S, 11/1 GO/FO.

Tune in, Turner on: Trea Turner grounded into a force at second the first time up today, but he stole second base to put himself in scoring position with with Anthony Rendon up, and scored one out later when Bryce Harper hit a two-out RBI single to center off Mets’ right-hander Noah Syndergaard.

Turner, whose four-hit game last night left him 29 for 107 in July, (.271/.304/.421), doubled the second time up today, lining a 1-0 sinker from Syndergaard to center for his 17th two-base hit of the season in the first at bat of the third inning, and he stole his second base today (and 28th this season) then scored when Rendon homered to left field to make it a 3-0 game.

Turner reached on an error in the hone-half of the eighth, and took third on a double to center by Harper. Juan Soto got the intentionals after Seth Lugo fell behind, 2-0.

Matt Adams got a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity, and sent a grounder to first base that, Wilmer Flores fielded before making a bad decision to throw to second for some reason and throwing high, 4-2 Nationals, no outs on the play. Wilmer Difo hit a sac fly to center, 5-2.

BULLPEN ACTION: Ryan Madson took over on the mound in the eighth with a 3-1 lead, and promptly surrendered a solo home run to right by Jose Reyes, who’d started the day with one home run on the season and homered from each side of the plate, 3-2.

Kelvin Herrera gave up a one-out fly to deep left field that Juan Soto tracked to the wall, but the left fielder had it go into and out of his glove at the top of the wall, effectively “helping” it go over, 5-3. Herrera gave up a double by Michael Conforto and a walk to Jose Bautista in the next two at bats, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate with one out, but got a game-ending 4-3 DP out of Brandon Nimmo.

Ballgame.

Final Score: 5-3 Nationals

Nationals now 54-53