Washington Nationals rally in 9th, walk off on New York Mets on Carter Kieboom single...

Patrick Corbin held the New York Mets to three runs on 11 hits in seven innings of work this afternoon in the nation’s capital, but the Washington Nationals’ lefty did give up a solo HR by Pete Alonso in the sixth, which was his NL-leading 34th HR allowed.

Alonso’s HR put the Mets up 3-2, the lead held up through eight, but closer Edwin Díaz gave up leadoff and one-out walks, and a game-tying RBI single by Andrew Stevenson, 3-3. And Carter Kieboom stepped in next and hit a grounder up the middle to bring Josh Bell in for a 4-3 win.

Corbin vs NYM: Patrick Corbin gave up nine hits, four walks, and six earned runs last time out on the mound before today, in what ended up a 12-6 loss to the Phillies, after which a clearly frustrated left-hander said he still wasn’t sure how to fix the issues that have been plaguing him for most of the last two seasons in D.C.

“I don’t know,” Corbin said. “I’m diving in numbers all the time, trying to look at stuff to try to find a way to get better, to turn this around and it just stinks, it just hasn’t been working.”

“I’m trying to do everything I can to go out there and have success,” he added, “it’s just not working, so it’s been a tough year for a lot of us here, it’s frustrating.”

Looking to finish strong this season, Corbin took the mound this afternoon and gave up one run in the first, with Francisco Lindor lining an 0-1 fastball to left field and off the wall before Pete Alonso hit a two-out RBI single to get the visiting team on the board, up 1-0 early in the series finale in Nationals Park.

Javier Báez and Kevin Pillar hit back-to-back singles to start the Mets’ fourth, with the score tied at 1-1. Báez took third base on Pillar’s hit, before scoring on a 4-3 DP off of Jeff McNeil’s bat, 2-1 NY.

It was a 2-2 game after four, when Corbin gave up leadoff and one-out singles in the fifth, but he got an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP out of Michael Conforto to end a 14-pitch top of the inning which left him at 69 pitches total on the day.

Corbin’s 71st pitch went out to left, with Pete Alonso hitting the 0-2 slider out for his 30th home run of the season, and the NL-leading 34th surrendered by the Nationals’ left-hand starter in 2021, 3-2 Mets.

Even though his spot in the order came up in the sixth, Martinez let him hit and sent the left-hander back out for the seventh, and Corbin worked around a single and walk in a 31-pitch frame which left him at 114 pitches for the game.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 7.0 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 114 P, 73 S, 11/2 GO/FO.

Williams vs D.C.: In his first start for the Mets following a trade from the Cubs, right-hander Trevor Williams held the Nationals to a run on three hits and two walks in 4 ¹⁄₃ IP, receiving no decision in what ended up a 5-4 win for New York.

Williams came out of the bullpen in his next two appearances, but the last time out before this afternoon’s outing he was back in the starting rotation, with just four hits and one run (unearned) off him in a 3-1 win over the Marlins.

In his second outing against the Nationals (for the Mets) this season, Williams took the hill in D.C. with a 1-0 lead, but gave it right back, with Alcides Escobar tripling on a fly to right field that Michael Conforto misread into a three-base hit, and a Juan Soto grounder to second in the next at-bat bringing in the tying run, 1-1.

Juan Soto walked to start the Nationals’ third, and took third base on a Josh Bell liner to first that ate up Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso and bounced off his glove and into right. Yadiel Hernández lined out unproductively to right for the first out of the inning, and Soto was out at home trying to score from third on a grounder to third by Carter Kieboom, before a pop-out to the infield by Alex Avila ended the threat.

It was 2-1 in the Mets’ favor when Williams came out for the fourth and surrendered back-to-back-to-back singles by Luis García, Patrick Corbin, and Lane Thomas, with García scoring from second on Thomas’s line drive to left, 2-2.

Carter Kieboom and Alex Avila hit back-to-back, one-out singles off Williams in the bottom of the fifth, but Luis García grounded into an inning-ending 3-6-1 DP.

Trevor Williams’ Line: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks, 93 P, 61 S, 6/3 GO/FO.

Bell of the Ball: Josh Bell started the day with hits in 12 of his last 13 games, over which he was 17 for 49 (.347 AVG) with two doubles, four home runs, 10 RBIs, seven walks, and five runs scored, with hits in 17 of his last 19 overall, and a .319/.413/.580 line over that stretch.

He made it hits in 13 of 14 and 18 of 20 with a double off Mets’ starter Trevor Williams in the bottom of the third.

Bullpen Action: Jeury Familia took over for the Mets with a 3-2 lead in the sixth, and set the Nationals down in order in a 13-pitch frame.

Brad Hand got the ball in the seventh, and retired his former teammates in order to keep it 3-2 in the Mets’ favor.

Kyle Finnegan worked around a two-out walk in a 13-pitch top of the eighth.

Seth Lugo came on for the Mets in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the first two batters before Luis García stepped in an hit a liner to right that Michael Conforto misplayed into a triple. Ryan Zimmerman walked to put two on with two out for Lane Thomas, who fell behind 1-2, and lined out to second to end the threat and keep it 3-2 Mets.

Finnegan came back for more work in the top of the ninth and worked around a leadoff single for a second scoreless frame.

Edwin Díaz got the save opportunity in the Nationals’ half of the ninth and walked the first batter he faced, Alcides Escobar, bringing Juan Soto up. Soto stepped in and flew out to left field on the first pitch he saw for out No. 1. Josh Bell walked as well, putting two on in front of Andrew Stevenson, who fell behind 0-2 quickly swinging over sliders low in the zone, and lined a game-tying single to right field, 3-3.

Bell took third on the hit. Carter Kieboom stepped up next and sent a grounder back up the middle to bring Bell in, 4-3. Ballgame.

Final Score: 4-3 Nationals

Nationals now 57-80