The New York Mets shutout the Washington Nationals 8-0 in the series opener on Tuesday to pick up its 10th win of the season.
The New York Mets had gone six consecutive series without winning the opener coming into play against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
That streak ended when the Mets blanked the Nationals 8-0 after a brilliant pitching performance from right-hander Clay Holmes and home runs from third baseman Bo Bichette and left fielder Juan Soto.
Bichette’s blast was his first since April 11 while Soto had been homer-less since April 1; they both recorded two RBI and scored a run, acting as catalysts at the top of the lineup. Holmes outpitched Washington’s Zack Littell, who allowed four runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout through 3.2 innings.
Holmes went six scoreless innings and allowed three hits and one walk while fanning six batters. He improved to 3-2 with a 1.75 ERA on the year, while Littell fell to 0-4 with a 7.85 ERA.
The National League East foes square off for the second time on Wednesday and it will be Mets left-hander David Peterson toeing the slab against Nationals righty Cade Cavalli. Peterson was relegated to the bullpen after carrying a 6.41 ERA through four starts, but the switch paid off for the lefty, as he allowed just one run in two long-relief appearances (seven innings).
He will return to the rotation with right-hander Kodai Senga on the injured list (lumbar spine inflammation) and make the start in a pivotal game that could clinch the series. Peterson will face the following lineup:
1. James Wood (DH)
2. Curtis Mead (1B)
3. Brady House (3B)
4. CJ Abrams (SS)
5. Jacob Young (CF)
6. Daylen Lile (LF)
7. Joey Wiemer (RF)
8. Nasim Nunez (2B)
9. Keibert Ruiz (C)
Cavalli, who is 0-1 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, had a good start to the season but had his ERA inflated by a rough performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he surrendered four runs on three hits and three walks in just 1.1 innings. His last time out was great, pitching five innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts. Cavalli hasn’t pitched with a lot of length this season, but his stuff has played well so far. He will face the following lineup:
1. Bichette (3B)
2. Soto (DH)
3. MJ Melendez (LF)
4. Francisco Alvarez (C)
5. Brett Baty (1B)
6. Tyrone Taylor (CF)
7. Carson Benge (RF)
8. Marcus Semien (2B)
9. Ronny Mauricio (SS)
First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.