Washington Nationals drop 2 of 3 to New York Mets with 9-4 loss in finale in Citi Field

Erick Fedde put together one of his better starts this season last time out before today, but he struggled this afternoon in the series finale with the New York Mets in Citi Field, giving up eight hits, a walk, and six runs (five earned) in 5 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched in what ended up a 9-4 loss for the Washington Nationals.

Fedde vs NYM: Erick Fedde tossed six scoreless against the Miami Marlins last time out before this afternoon’s game, striking out a career-high 10 batters, but returned to the mound in the seventh and gave up a one-out single and walk before he was lifted from the game.

The one earned run he was charged with scored after he was done for the day, but it was one of, if not the, best starts of the season for the 28-year-old, 2014 1st Round pick, who earned his second straight win after a 10-start winless streak.

Fedde talked afterwards about when he knew things were clicking for him on the mound.

“I don’t know, I thought my last bullpen coming into this I was really locked in, one of my better ones of the year, so I was really happy with my stuff, but yeah probably once I got through that second or third inning,” he said.

“I really felt comfortable with my stuff, and was excited every inning to go back out there.”

This afternoon he was facing the Mets for the fourth time this season after going (0-1) with a 2.81 ERA and a .214.313.286 line against in 16 IP in the previous three.

Fedde gave up a one-out walk to Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the first today, then after a force at second base took Nimmo off the basepaths and left Francisco Lindor at first, Pete Alonso lined a two-out single to center field to put two on, and both runners advanced on a passed ball, before Lindor broke for home in the next at bat, and tricked Fedde into a balk in the next at bat, which allowed him to score, 1-0 New York.

It was 2-1 in the fourth when Fedde gave up a leadoff single by Pete Alonso, who lined a 1-1 curve to left-center, and one out later, Javy Báez hit a hanging 1-0 curve out to left and 444 feet into the second deck for a two-run shot and a 3-2 Mets’ lead. No. 26 for Báez.

Jonathan Villar tripled to center, off the wall, to lead off the fifth, and a hit-by-pitch on Mets’ center fielder Brandon Nimmo put runners on the corners with no one out. With one down and runners at second and third after a Francisco Lindor groundout, Pete Alonso lined one to right field for an RBI single and a 4-2 lead for the home team.

Fedde returned to the mound in the bottom of the sixth in a 4-3 game, and gave up a leadoff single by Kevin Pillar, on a 2-2 curve, and Pillar stole second one out later, and scored on an RBI hit to center by pinch hitter Dominic Smith, 5-3 Mets.

Erick Fedde’s Line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 99 P, 60 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

Megill vs D.C.: Mets’ righty Tylor Megill, 26, and a 2018 8th Round pick, made his MLB debut back in June, and coming into today’s start, he was winless in five August outings with a 7.03 ERA, four walks, 26 Ks, and a .324/.349/.598 line against in 24 ¹⁄₃ IP, coming off a 3 ²⁄₃ inning outing against the San Francisco Giants in which he gave up 11 hits, four of them homers, and seven runs total.

“You could just see it,” Megill said after that start, as quoted on MLB.com.

“I didn’t have command of my stuff, and then you get exposed for that, and they do what they do when you don’t have your stuff.”

This afternoon in Citi Field, Megill worked around a two-out walk, stolen base, and an error on the throw to second, as Juan Soto got on and got around to third base before he was stranded in what ended up a 17-pitch top of the first, and the Mets’ starter came back out in the second with a 1-0 lead and retired the side in order in an 11-pitch frame, and he did the same in a 14-pitch third.

Soto walked for the second time in two plate appearances with one out in the fourth, and Josh Bell made Megill pay for this one, hitting a first-pitch changeup out to center and over the fence for a two-run shot, his 22nd of 2021, and a 2-1 Nationals’ lead. 424-foot shot for Bell.

When he came out for the fifth, however, it was 3-2 in the Mets’ favor, and he worked a one-out walk and an error on a potential inning-ending double play in 24-pitch frame which left him at 82 pitches overall and ended his outing.

Tylor Megill’s Line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR, 82 P, 51 S, 6/3 GO/FO.

Alcides Escostreak: Alcides Escobar started the series finale in New York’s Citi Field with hits in 10 straight games, over which he was 16 for 44 (.364 AVG) with three doubles, four RBIs, one hit-by-pitch, two walks, and eight runs scored during those 10 games, but he went 0 for 3 through sixth innings, putting the streak in jeopardy, and finished the game 0 for 4.

Bullpen Action: Aaron Loup hadn’t allowed a homer in 51 games and 43 ¹⁄₃ innings on the mound this season before he went up against Juan Soto in the top of the sixth and gave up a 401-foot opposite field blast on a 2-2 sinker Soto hit out to left-center for home run No. 22 of 2021. 4-3 Mets.

Kyle McGowin took over on the mound for the Nationals with a runner on first and one out in the Mets’ sixth, and gave up a two-run shot to left on the first pitch he threw to Jonathan Villar, 7-3 Mets.

Miguel Castro got the ball in the top of the seventh, with a four-run lead, and worked around a one-out walk for a scoreless frame.

Austin Voth retired the Mets in order in a 13-pitch, 10-strike bottom of the seventh.

Josh Bell’s second home run of the game came on a 98 MPH, 3-2 sinker from Mets’ right-hander Jeurys Familia, making it 7-4 in the eighth in NY. Bell’s 23rd of 2021.

Yadiel Hernández and Carter Kieboom took back-to-back, two-out walks after Bell’s blast, but Familia stranded them both.

Sam Clay gave up a leadoff walk, one-out single, and hit a batter to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth, and Francisco Lindor followed with a two-run double to left, 9-4 NY.

An intentional walk to Pete Alonso loaded the bases in front of Michael Conforto, who hit into an inning-ending double play.

Heath Hembree got the ball in the top of the ninth and retired the Nationals in order to end it.

Final Score: 9-4 Mets

Nationals now 55-74