Washington Nationals shut out again; no runs in 27 innings after 3-0 loss to New York Mets...

Washington’s Nationals extended their scoreless inning streak to 27-straight innings going back to Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off home run in Wednesday’s game in the nation’s capital, getting shut out for the third straight game in a 3-0 loss to the New York Mets in Citi Field.

Roark vs New Yoark: Tanner Roark took the mound this afternoon unbeaten in his last six starts (5-0) with a 1.63 ERA, five walks, 29 Ks, and a .206/.236/.270 line against in 38 ²⁄₃ IP over that stretch. He’d allowed two runs or fewer in five of those six outings. Roark tossed three scoreless in his last start before today’s, in a rain-shortened appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Taking on the New York Mets for the fifth time this season, after going (1-1) with a 4.50 ERA, nine walks, 27 Ks, and a .211/.287/.378 line against in 24 IP in the previous four starts, Roark had swing and miss stuff, picking up six strikeouts in five scoreless over which he gave up three hits and walked no one, but an 0-2 fastball, knee-high inside to Amed Rosario ended up sailing out to center in Citi Field as the home team jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the sixth.

Tanner Roark’s Line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, 1 HR, 90 P, 57 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

Wheeler Dealer: New York Mets’ righty Zack Wheeler entered play this afternoon with a 10-start unbeaten streak going, over which the 28-year-old, 2009 1st Round pick had gone (6-0) with a 2.09 ERA, 16 walks, 67 Ks, and a .209/.266/.278 line against in 64 ²⁄₃ IP. His worst start over that stretch (in which he still earned a win), was a 7 ²⁄₃-inning outing against the same Nationals he was facing today, who put up eight hits and four earned runs on him in what ended up a 7-4 loss for Washington.

Today in Citi Field, Wheeler tossed two scoreless to start but the Nationals threatened in the third with Adam Eaton walking with one down and taking third base on a perfectly-executed hit-and-run single by Trea Turner.

Bryce Harper worked the count full in the next at bat and walked to load the bases in front of Anthony Rendon, who lined out to second base. Two down.

Juan Soto got a two-out opportunity, and grounded into a force at second to end the threat and Wheeler’s third scoreless.

Harper hit a one-hop liner out to the short side of second to start an inning-ending 6-3 DP after two batters reached base in the fifth, and the Nationals were 1 for 6 on the afternoon with runners in scoring position to that point.

With the score 1-0 Mets in the seventh, Matt Wieters singled and Adam Eaton took a fastball to the front hip, putting two on with two out, before Wheeler got Trea Turner to ground out to second base, leaving the Nationals 1 for 8 with RISP, and eight left on base in a 1-0 game.

Zack Wheeler’s Line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 109 P, 64 S, 8/2 GO/FO.

Scoreless inning streak: As play started today, the Nationals had a streak of 18-straight scoreless innings going, which went back to Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off blast back on Wednesday night in the nation’s capital. Shut out for the 12th and 13th times in 2018 in Thursday’s series finale with the Phillies and last night’s series opener with the Mets, it continued into the seventh, 25-straight innings, with Zack Wheeler holding them off the board as New York jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the sixth and added a run in the seventh.

Davey Martinez’s Nationals came up empty again this afternoon, ending the day with 27-straight scoreless innings and a total of 14 shutout losses on the season.

BULLPEN ACTION: Wander Suero took over for Tanner Roark in the bottom of the seventh, and gave up a one-out solo shot to left by Todd Frazier on 2-2 cutter that didn’t cut but hit the barrel of Frazier’s bat pretty squarely. 2-0 NY.

Daniel Zamora took over for Wheeler in the top of the eighth, and retired Bryce Harper in his only matchup before Mets’ skipper Mickey Callaway went to righty Drew Smith, who got the next two outs to keep it a 2-0 game, with Juan Soto lining a single to center with two out in the inning and getting tagged as he slid over the bag and came off it according to the ump, and the replay officials.

Michael Conforto drove in a run with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, after a runner reached with Greg Holland on the mound and Matt Grace took over with two out and gave up back-to-back singles.

Drew Smith came back out for the ninth and got the first out before Callaway went to the pen for Jerry Blevins,

Ballgame.

Final Score: 3-0 Mets

Nationals now 64-66