Washington Nationals pound New York Mets, 16-4: Asdrúbal Cabrera 4 for 4, 2 2B, 2 HRs in Citi Field...

Asdrúbal Cabrera doubled twice, homered twice, scored three runs, and drove in five in a 16-4 win for the Washington Nationals in the series opener with the New York Mets in Citi Field. Cabrera’s 2nd homer of the game (and third of the season) in the seventh left him 4 for 4 on the night, as the visitors in Flushing, Queens, NY bombarded the Metropolitans.

Patrick Corbin held the Mets in check through five before giving up two runs in the sixth, and helped the Nationals stop a three-game slide.

Corbin vs NYM: Patrick Corbin gave up three runs on eight hits in 5 ²⁄₃ IP last time out when he faced the New York Mets last week in the nation’s capital, walking one batter and striking out eight in a 102-pitch outing in a 5-3 win for Washington.

Corbin worked around doubles in each of the first two innings in his second start in a row against the Nationals’ NL East rivals, completing two scoreless on just 21 pitches.

Given a 5-0 lead to work with in the top of the third, Corbin came back out with an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, which left him at 32 total in 3.0 scoreless, and he added two Ks, for three total, in a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth, and the Nationals scored seven in the fifth to give their starter a 12-0 lead to work with.

Corbin erased a leadoff walk (his 2nd of the season) with a 1-6-3 DP in the second at bat of the Mets’ fifth, and stranded a two-out single in a 16-pitch frame that left him at 61 pitches in five scoreless.

A one-out walk (Corbin’s 3rd of 2020), an infield single, and an error on a grounder back to the mound in the bottom of the sixth got the Mets on the board, 14-1, and an RBI single by Michael Conforto made it 14-2 before Corbin got out of the inning...

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 87 P, 54 S, 10/3 GO/FO.

Matz vs the Nats: Steven Matz gave up seven hits (two home runs) and five runs total in just three innings pitched when he faced Washington in Nationals Park last week.

“My fastball was leaking back over the middle of the plate today,” Matz told reporters after his second straight loss. “I just didn’t give us a chance.”

Matz fell to (1-6) in 13 career starts against various iterations of the Nationals’ roster, with a 3.91 ERA in 69 IP against the club.

His 14th career outing against the Mets’ NL East rivals began with a scoreless first, but with two out in the second, Asdrúbal Cabrera got hold of a 3-2 slider up in the zone and hit it to left field for a solo shot that made it 1-0 Nationals early in Citi Field. Cabrera’s 2nd of 2020.

Trea Turner got hold of a 1-2 sinker up high from Matz in the third, and hit a two-run shot to left field to make it a 3-0 game in the Nationals’ favor. Turner’s 2nd as well.

Matz was almost out of the third, when he struck Starlin Castro out for what should’ve been out No. 3, but the wild pitch got by catcher Wilson Ramos, allowing Castro to reach first safely, and Juan Soto hit the next pitch from the southpaw out to center field (and over the big apple) for another two-run shot and a 5-0 Nationals’ lead.

Trea Turner and Josh Harrison singled in back-to-back at bats to start the fifth, and a ground-rule double by Soto drove Turner in to make it 6-0 and end Matz’s night.

Steven Matz’s Line: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks, 3 HRs, 91 P, 62 S, 5/1 GO/FO.

J-Hay in RF: Josh Harrison started the day 5 for 10 with a triple and two home runs off Mets’ lefty Steven Matz in their respective careers, and though it’s a small sample size, he got the start in the series opener in part due to the success he’d had against the starter, though the Nationals’ skipper, Davey Martinez, said he also wanted to give Adam Eaton a break, though, he’s fine. He’s fine.

“[Eaton’s] good, just giving him a day off, that’s all,” Martinez explained. “Getting Josh in there, and Josh, he sees the ball well off of Matz, so just gave Adam a day off.”

Harrison went 1 for 5 with an RBI on the night.

Asdrúbal vs LHPs: Asdrúbal Cabrera started the night 5 for 7 (.714 AVG) with two doubles off left-handers this season, and the switch-hitting infielder went 2 for 2 with a home run and a double off Mets’ lefty Steven Matz (7 for 9 vs LHPs in 2020), and made it 3 for 3 with another double (off righty Paul Sewald) in the top of the fifth. Cabrera was 4 for 4 with two doubles and two home runs after he homered off Chasen Shreve in the seventh, reaching out and one-handing a low changeup and sending it out to left for a two-run blast, off yet another lefty.

BULLPEN ACTION: Paul Sewald took over the Mets with two runners on in the fifth, and gave up an RBI single by Howie Kendrick on an 0-2 slider, 7-0, and a two-run double by Asdrúbal Cabrera, 9-0. Carter Kieboom and Yan Gomes followed with back-to-back hits, and it was 10-0 when Cabrera scored. Sewald hit Victor Robles in the next at bat. Trea Turner hit an RBI single to center, 11-0, and a Josh Harrison sac fly made it 12-0.

Juan Soto’s single in the first at bat of the sixth left him 3 for 4 on the night, with a home run, double, and single, a triple short of the cycle. Howie Kendrick and Asdrúbal Cabrera took walks in the next two at bats, loading the bases and ending Sewald’s night.

Chasen Shreve inherited a bases-loaded, 0-out jam, and a one-out walk to Yan Gomes forced in the Nationals’ 13th run of the game, 13-0, and an RBI (infield) single by Victor Robles, made it 14-0.

Asdrúbal Cabrera was 4 for 4 with three runs scored and five RBIs after he added a second home run of the game in the seventh, taking Shreve deep for a two-run blast that made it a 16-2 game.

Wander Suero needed just 12 pitches in a quick, 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, and he got an inning-ending double after giving up a HBP and two singles in the bottom of the eighth, 16-3.

Sean Doolittle came on in the ninth to get some work in and gave up a leadoff home run by Brandon Nimmo, 16-4.

Final Score: 16-4 Nationals

Nationals now 5-7