Washington Nationals drop series opener to New York Mets, who snap a five-game losing streak with a 5-3 win...

Patrick Corbin wasn’t as sharp against the Mets in Citi Field as he was last week in Nationals Park, but he held them to four runs in five innings and Washington’s bullpen kept it there as the offense chipped away, but the early deficit was too much to overcome in the end as the Nats dropped the series opener to New York, 5-3.

Corbin in NY: Patrick Corbin went eight strong against New York when he faced the Mets in the nation’s capital last week, giving up four hits, a walk, and one earned run while striking out 11 of the 29 batters he faced in a 5-1 win.

The outing left the lefty (4-1) in nine starts with a 2.91 ERA, a 3.10 FIP, 18 walks (2.76 BB/9), 69 Ks (10.59 K/9), and a .202/.269/.329 line against in 58 ²⁄₃ IP this season.

Corbin fell behind early in the second consecutive start against the Nationals’ NL East rivals tonight in the series opener of the four-game set in Citi Field, when Amed Rosario hit an 0-2 fastball out to center and off the wall behind the fence for a solo shot and a 1-0 lead.

Pete Alonso hit a 1-2 fastball out to left-center later in the first, connecting on his 15th HR of the season to put the Mets ahead, 2-0.

Leadoff and two-out walks in the third both came around to score on an RBI single by Todd Frazier and an RBI double by Carlos Gómez as the Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

Corbin retired the final seven batters he faced, but he was up to 98 pitches and done after five innings of work against the Mets in what was a 4-2 game at that point...

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 Ks, 2 HRs, 98 P, 60 S, 3/4 GO/FO.

Font vs D.C.: Making his second start for the Mets after he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month, Wilmer Font got knocked around by the Nationals during the series between the divisional rivals in Washington last week, giving up six hits, two walks, and five earned runs in 2 ¹⁄₃ IP in what ended up a 5-1 loss.

Font tossed three scoreless to start tonight, as the Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but his bid for a shutout ended in the first at bat of the fourth, when Anthony Rendon hit an 0-1 sinker out to left for a solo shot that made it a 4-1 game. Rendon’s 9th.

Back-to-back two-out walks later in the fourth set Yan Gomes up with an RBI opportunity he cashed in with an RBI single that made it a two-run game, 4-2.

Wilmer Font’s Line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 75 P, 45 S, 4/3 GO/FO.

Rendon is Streaking: Anthony Rendon put together a 17-game hit streak between March 30th and April 19th, going 26 for 65 (.400/.474/.831) with 10 doubles and six home runs over that stretch.

Going into tonight’s game, the 28-year-old infielder had a six-game hit streak, over which he was 10 for 23 (.435/.519/.870) with four doubles and two home runs.

Rendon walked the first time up against Mets’ starter Wilmer Font, and he homered in his second plate appearance, hitting an 0-1 sinker out to left field to extend his hit streak to seven straight games.

BULLPEN ACTION: Drew Gagnon took over for the Mets in the top of the fifth and worked around a two-out walk in a 20-pitch frame. A 1-2-3 fifth left the right-hander at 32 pitches after two scoreless innings in relief.

Tanner Rainey made his Nats debut in the bottom of the sixth, throwing 98-99 MPH heat.

Robinson Canó hit an 0-2 slider to right-center for a two-out double, but he was still there at the end of a 13-pitch frame by the Nats’ new right-hander.

Jeurys Familia worked around a one-out single in a scoreless top of the seventh. Still 4-2 Mets.

Joe Ross got the bottom of the seventh for the Nationals, and worked around a two-out hit-by-pitch in a 15-pitch frame.

Anthony Rendon doubled (2 for 2, 2 BB) off Familia with one out in the top of the eighth, lining an 0-2 sinker outside to right and taking the extra base when Carlos Gómez had trouble getting it in.

Daniel Zamora came on for Familia and a lefty-vs-lefty matchup with Juan Soto and gave up an RBI single to center on a 3-2 slider that Soto hit to short-center, 4-3 Mets.

NY’s skipper (still, apparently) Mickey Callaway went to the pen again for Robert Gsellman with Howie Kendrick due up, and Gsellman got the final two outs of the inning.

Ross returned to the mound in the bottom of the eighth and recorded two outs around a one-out walk before Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez went to the pen for Tony Sipp vs Dominic Smith, lefty vs lefty with the runner on third. Sipp gave up an RBI single on the first pitch he threw, 5-3 Mets.

Edwin Díaz got the ninth for the Mets and hit the first batter he faced, putting Victor Robles on to start the inning. Yan Gomes’ third hit of a the day was a single to right that brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki sent a 2-2 pitch to left for the first out of the frame, Trea Turner grounded into a force at second for out No. 2, and capped off an 0 for 5 night with a fly to left for out No. 3. 5-3 Mets final.

Nationals now 19-28