Washington Nationals Shut Out In Murphy’s Return To New York
Check out our three takeaways from last night’s 2-0 Washington Nationals loss to the New York Mets
Last night at Citi Field, the Washington Nationals (23-16) and the New York Mets (22-17) had a pitcher’s duel that lived up to the hype. Both Max Scherzer and Noah Syndergaard struck out ten batters, but in the end, the difference was two solo home runs given up by Scherzer.
It is only one game in the series and the Nationals are still in first place in the NL East, but this series is a statement series for the Nats as they try to get back some of the edge they had on the Mets before the second half of last season.
However, Syndergaard was dominant tonight and kept the Nats hitters off balance over the course of seven innings. Scherzer did pitch well and only gave up one hit besides the home run (Kevin Plawecki single in the sixth). In the end, the Nats really didn’t have many opportunities to generate offense and when they did, the Mets made the defensive plays to get out of trouble.
Of course, the story of the night was Daniel Murphy’s return to Citi Field where he got a great standing ovation from the fans. Although Murphy’s batting average dropped below .400, he was 1-for-3 with a bloop single to right and he made two excellent defensive plays to keep the Mets from tacking on more runs.
Before Gio Gonzalez takes on Bartolo Colon tonight (7:10 p.m ET, MASN/ESPN), check out my three takeaways from last night’s loss:
Next: Scherzer Pitches Well Despite Two Home Runs
Scherzer Pitches Well Despite Two Home Runs
Even though Scherzer put up a quality outing last night against the Mets, the storyline continues to be the amount of home runs he has given up this season. With the two home runs he gave up, the Nats’ right-hander has given up a league leading 13 home runs and eight in the last three games.
In the first inning, Curtis Granderson swung at a first pitch fastball and hit it over the wall for a solo home run. Usually, Granderson likes to work the count, but he hit a first pitch home run for the second consecutive game.
Then, in the third inning, he struggled with his location against Michael Conforto and the Mets’ left fielder made him pay by hitting a 2-2 slider over the wall in right for a solo home run. Conforto drew a four-pitch walk against him in the first inning.
While Scherzer giving up home runs still remains a concern, give him credit for at least keeping the team in the game as he seemed to find his rhythm after the second home run. He went 6.1 innings, gave up two runs on three hits, struck out ten, and walked three on 98 pitches (62 strikes).
It did surprise me that Scherzer came out of the game after 98 pitches and did not face pinch-hitter Alejandro de Aza and Matt Reynolds (in for David Wright). But, I understood that after throwing 119 pitches in his last outing, he wasn’t going to throw that many pitches this time.
Considering he was facing a Mets lineup that was without Wright and Lucas Duda, I thought Scherzer put up a great outing. But, in the end, the Nationals could not give him any run support and he took the hard luck loss.
Next: Missed Opportunities In 2nd and 6th Innings
Missed Opportunities In 2nd And 6th Innings
As I mentioned earlier, the Nationals didn’t have many chances to score runs against Syndergaard, who was dominant all night. I thought the one real chance they had to score a run was in the second inning. With one out, Ryan Zimmerman doubled to the gap in left center and Anthony Rendon lined a single to left.
With runners on the corners and Wilson Ramos up, I thought that Dusty Baker was going to have Rendon steal second. Coming into this game, teams were 14-for-16 on stolen base attempts against Syndergaard. But, Rendon stayed and Ramos ended up grounding into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Nats would try to steal a base in the sixth inning after Ben Revere singled with one out, but Revere was thrown out at second and the call stood on the challenge. Even though Revere looked safe, give Plawecki credit for making a strong throw to get the out.
All in all, those were the only two chances the Washington Nationals had against Syndergaard. The Mets’ right-hander went seven innings, gave up five hits, struck out ten, and did not walk a batter on 102 pitches (71 strikes). He had all of his pitches working, including in the fourth when he struck out Bryce Harper with a 100 mile per hour fastball and then Ryan Zimmerman with a 99 mile per hour fastball.
Right now, Syndergaard has been the most dominant pitcher on the Mets’ staff and he showed it tonight as he was able to outpitch Scherzer and pick up the win.
Next: Granderson Tough Out In Lineup
Granderson The Tough Out In Mets Lineup
Last night, the Mets were playing short-handed without Wright and Duda because of back issues. In a lineup that relies on the home run, they got two solo home runs from Granderson and Conforto. However, it seemed like every Nats’ pitcher that faced the Mets’ right fielder had a difficult time getting him out.
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Granderson is off to a slow start this season with the Mets as he is only .211 with seven home runs, 12 RBI’s, and a .304 on-base percentage. As I said before, he doesn’t swing usually at the first pitch in an at-bat, but he made Scherzer pay for a fastball.
In his other three at-bats, he drew walks in the third and fifth inning and singled through the shift in the eighth inning against Felipe Rivero. He saw 17 pitches, which was tied with Conforto for the most pitches taken by any hitter in the Mets’ lineup.
Next: Recap: Scherzer Haunted By Early Blunders
Even though he has only been with the Mets since 2014, Granderson has a good track record against Washington. Last season, he hit .269 against the Nats with two home runs, seven RBI’s, and a .364 on-base percentage. Plus, he drew ten walks, which was the third most he had against any team.
The question will be whether or not Granderson has that success over the next two games. Against Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg, he is a combined 7-for-43 with one home run, three RBI’s, and 14 strikeouts.