Mets beat Nationals thanks to Brandon Nimmo's 3-run HR

If you heard an explosion in Flushing on Wednesday, don't worry, it was just the Mets' bats.

Questions about how the Mets would operate offensively without Francisco Lindor have been silenced for another night after they completed a sweep of the Washington Nationals with a nine-run fourth inning. The Mets beat the Nats 10-0 at Citi Field, with Brandon Nimmo and Luisangel Acuña both hitting home runs and every member of the starting lineup reaching base.

Jose Quintana continued his shutout streak by holding Washington to zero through seven innings, his third consecutive scoreless appearance.

After scoring just seven runs in three games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Nats (Sept. 14-16), the Mets have now scored 20 runs in their last two games against Washington. They'll need to take full advantage of that lineup length this week when Philadelphia comes to town for the final four home games of the season, but so far the Mets have risen to the challenge even without their best player.

Rookie left-hander DJ Herz played the first three innings with ease before collapsing in the fourth inning, allowing seven earned runs. He struck out the team in the third inning, battling the Mets' Nos. 9, 1 and 2 batters. They forced him to throw 15 pitches, and by the time he reached the bottom of the fourth inning, he had seen them all.

He walked the first four batters and allowed three runs before making the first out, striking out Francisco Alvarez for his fourth and final out.

Heart (4-8) walked Nimmo to start the inning, and Pete Alonso extended his hitting streak to six games with a single to left. Tyrone Taylor then extended his own hitting streak to six games when he hit a double into the gap between right and center to score Nimmo. Mark Vientos cleared the bases with a two-run single to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

With one out, Herz walked Harrison Bader to put runners on first and second base. Acuña sent another batter home and Jose Iglesias loaded the bases with a single. The Nats brought in right-hander Jacob Barnes from the bullpen, but he was of little use.

Starling Marte hit a two-run single and Nimmo then hit a three-run homer that nearly hit the Shea Bridge to cap the scoring rally.

Quintana (10-9) limited Washington to just two hits and two walks and managed four strikeouts. The veteran left-hander has not allowed a run in 23 1/3 innings and has allowed just one earned run (two unearned runs) in his last five starts (32 innings).

Right-handers Phil Maton and Huascar Brazobán did the job perfectly, holding Washington scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Acuña's second career home run came in the eighth inning. Right-hander Zach Brzykcy couldn't finish him off at 1-2 and threw a changeup to the rookie infielder, who carried it over the left-field fence. It was the second home run in as many nights for the younger brother of reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds to stay within striking distance of the Mets, who are now tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second NL wild card spot with a record of 84-68.

Originally published: September 18, 2024 at 21:58