Mets pile up runs, hold off Nationals

J.D. Davis lined a two-run single with the bases loaded to snap a tie in the eighth, and Jeff McNeil had four hits and drove in two runs as the New York Mets beat the host Washington Nationals 11-8 on Saturday. The Nationals scored four in the ninth, including a three-run double by Ryan Zimmerman with two outs, before Edwin Diaz got the last out by retiring Kurt Suzuki.

The winning pitcher was Justin Wilson (1-0), who pitched a scoreless top of the eighth. The loser was Trevor Rosenthal (0-1), who gave up the hit to Davis and didn't record an out. After Rosenthal was lifted, the Mets made it 7-4 as Washington reliever Kyle Barraclough was called for a balk with a runner on third and pinch hitter Dominic Smith at the plate. Rookie Pete Alonso (3-for-4, two RBI) then added an RBI double.

Seth Lugo retired Matt Adams on a flyball to the wall in right with the bases loaded for the final out in the last of the eighth. McNeil added an RBI double in the ninth and Dominic Smith had a two-run single for an 11-4 advantage, much to the delight of a scattering Mets fans. The Nationals (0-2) had tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Kurt Suzuki against Mets starter Noah Syndergaard, who didn't figure in the decision.

Washington's Victor Robles slammed a homer to left on a 95 mile-per-hour sinker from Syndergaard to trim the margin to 4-2 in the third. Later in the inning, Juan Soto (3-for-5, two RBI) had an RBI single to left to make it 4-3. Starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals and Syndergaard both went six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits.

New York (2-0) grabbed a 4-1 lead in the second on a line double by Alonso over the head of Robles in center. The Mets scored three in the first off Strasburg, with some hard-hit balls and some miscues by the Nationals.

Alonso singled and then went to third on a shift single to shortstop by Michael Conforto, who went to second on a throwing error by Robles. Wilson Ramos, the former Nationals catcher, then smashed a two-run double to right for a 2-0 Mets lead. McNeil followed with a loud RBI triple to center that Robles couldn't catch at the wall.

The Nationals trimmed the lead to 3-1 in the last of the first on an RBI single by Soto. That scored Anthony Rendon, who doubled for his first hit of the season after smashing a career-high 44 doubles last year. --Field Level Media