Two walks cost Kodai Senga in the third inning. Two doubles and a triple hurt him in the fourth. A solo homer was costly in the fifth.
Senga (7-5) was touched up and the Washington Nationals (51-75) beat the Mets 5-4 Wednesday at Nationals Park to break the Mets’ three-game winning streak. The Mets (67-59) are a half-game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds (67-60) for the last Wild Card spot, with the Reds set to play the Angels later Wednesday.
The Mets rallied for three runs in the sixth on a Pete Alonso RBI double and a Jeff McNeil two-run double to come within a run. New York loaded the bases with one out, but Cedric Mullins flied to shallow right and Luis Torrens grounded out hard to second.
The Mets’ best chance to tie the game from that point on came in the ninth when Mullins reached on an infield single with one out. But Torrens hit into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play. The Mets have not won a game this season when trailing after eight innings.
Senga gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits, walked two, struck out four and his ERA jumped to 2.58. It was a National League-leading 1.47 when he strained his hamstring covering first base on June 12. He missed a month and hasn’t been the same in six winless starts since his return, allowing 18 earned runs over 31 innings pitched (5.22 ERA).
Per SNY, Senga allowed three hits with runners in scoring position for only the second time in his 50 career starts.
Brett Baty got the Mets on the board with the longest home run of his career, a 455-foot rocket to right that was his 15th on the season in 292 at-bats. It was the second straight night he hit a ball into the second deck of Nationals Park.
Francisco Lindor exended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the first. He is 16-for-33 with three homers, four doubles and seven RBIs during the stretch.
Brandon Nimmo was removed with neck stiffness. He grounded into a double play in the first, played defense in the bottom of the first, but was replaced in the field by Starling Marte in the second.
Stat of the Game
The streak is up to 61. Games that no starter other than David Peterson has lasted six innings. This is an MLB record since at least 1901. Sean Manaea takes a crack at breaking it up Thursday.
Player of the Game
Baty’s blast (115 mph exit velocity) was one foot shy of the longest Met home run of the season. Ronny Mauricio hit a ball 456 feet at Coors Field. Baty went 1-for-3 with a walk.
On Deck
A pair of lefties go at it in the Mets’ final game in Washington this season. Manaea (1-1, 4.78) will look to turn things around – he’s given up 13 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings pitched in his last three outings – against MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.04 ERA). The 26-year-old Gore is 1-3 with a 4.29 ERA in seven career starts vs. New York.
Game time is 4:05 p.m. and it will air on SNY.
