Nimmo's home run caps nine runs in fourth game, Mets beat Nats again

From stomach flu to shoulder problems that could have been much worse to a fainting spell and unusually frequent lineup changes, Brandon Nimmo is willing to talk openly about it: He's had a strange year, and not in a good way.

But after the Mets' 10-0 thrashing of the Nationals on Wednesday night – his three-run home run capping a nine-run fourth inning – he expressed hope that soon none of that would matter anymore. None of it would be remembered as the most important part of his or the team's 2024 season. There's more at stake than his statistically mediocre season.

He speaks of a legacy.

“The most important thing I see is that we're in the playoff race,” Nimmo said. “If things came together right now, it would make it all worth it because to me the most important thing is playing playoff baseball and winning games.”

“If we could do that, it wouldn't matter what happens during the regular season. All that matters is what you do in the playoffs and try to win games and get the Mets back to a World Series.”

Nimmo mentioned Daniel Murphy, the Met powerhouse who had the best October ever in 2015. He hit a home run in six consecutive postseason games, including all four in the NLCS, and was named series MVP along the way.

Nimmo was still a promising rookie at the time, and his major league debut was still months away, but he knows the story well.

“Murph had a great career, but when you think of Murph, you think of the playoffs and the home runs he hit and took the Mets to the 2015 World Series,” Nimmo said. “This is the time to shine. This is the time to have fun. This is just what we all play for.”

The Mets (84-68) are getting closer to that goal. With 10 games left in the regular season, they were two games ahead of Atlanta for the National League's final wild-card spot. They were also tied with Arizona and just 2 1/2 games behind the Padres for the top wild card, which comes with home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The landslide victory in the final was the Mets' eleventh victory in 13 attempts against the Nationals (68-84), a sign of dominance over a weak team from their own division, which alone explains their increasingly solid position in the table.

The game nearly ended in the fourth inning when they defeated left-hander DJ Herz (3 1/3 innings, seven runs) and right-hander Jacob Barnes (1 2/3 innings, two runs).

Mark Vientos (two-run single), Luisangel Acuna (RBI single) and Starling Marte (two-run single) had big hits. But the biggest hit went to Nimmo, which didn't surprise Carlos Mendoza, who already saw positive signs earlier in the week.

“The way the ball came through the strike zone was a different sight, a different feeling,” the manager said. “There was conviction. There was authority. He was ready to go for the pitches. We saw that today. He was ready to go for the fastball. And he dictated the batting.”

That single inning was a big boost for left-hander Jose Quintana, who threw seven innings to extend his scoreless streak to 22 2/3 innings. He has a 0.28 ERA in his last five starts.

What applies to Nimmo also applies to Quintana and the rest of the Mets.

“It would be really nice to get going,” he said, “right now that we're on our way to the playoffs.”