Washington Nationals stun the New York Mets in another walk off thriller

The Washington Nationals came back from the dead to defeat a shell shocked New York Mets team

Between the near meltdown in Colorado and the game on Friday, the Washington Nationals have been in some thrillers so far this season. However, this comeback win over the Mets is by far the win of the season.

The Washington Nationals looked dead in the water from the jump, as Mitchell Parker did not have his A, B, or C game today. His command was all over the place. The southpaw couldn’t spot the fastball and his curve had absolutely no bite.

Parker put the Nats into a 5-0 hole with a four walk, three hit bottom of the first. Even the outs he was getting were productive sac flies. It took 43 pitches for Parker to get through the first inning. Parker could have easily quit, but he ended up giving the Nationals five vital innings.

It was not pretty and he gave up two more runs along the way, but Mitchell Parker deserves credit for saving the bullpen and limiting the damage after a disastrous first. Even if the Nats lost, Parker getting through five would have been a commendable effort.

While Parker was grinding through the game without anything close to his best stuff, the offense was mostly dormant. The lone exception was a Dylan Crews homer in the second inning to make it 6-1.

It looked like Crews staying hot would be the only positive to come out of this game. However, as we will discuss that was far from the case.

In the mean time, the Nats were having a lot of trouble with Tylor Megill. Heading into the seventh inning, Crews’ homer and an Alex Call walk were all the Nats could muster.

However, the much maligned B bullpen was giving the Nats a chance to do something. Lucas Sims had a strong first inning before running into trouble in his second inning of work. Shockingly, Colin Poche came in with runners on first and second with nobody out and left without allowing a run. Poche got a much needed ground ball double play before striking out the pesky Luis Torrens.

To start the seventh, the Nats caught a break. Juan Soto lost a fly ball in the sun and Luis Garcia Jr. hustled to turn it into a double. The struggling Josh Bell would drive him in on a laser beam of a single.

That would be it for Tylor Megill. However, with the score still being 7-2, it looked to be a comfortable Mets win. That point would be reinforced when Jose Butto struck out Dylan Crews to start his outing.

However, Alex Call and Jose Tena would both single to keep the inning alive for Riley Adams and make it a 7-3 game. Adams has looked lost at the plate all season in his sparse playing time. However, he is always a threat to homer when he runs into one. The big catcher did just that when Jose Butto grooved a heater right down the pipe. Adams did not miss it and made this a brand new ball game with one swing of the bat.

After a 1-2-3 inning from Jackson Rutledge, the Nats were back in business after a James Wood leadoff double. After a Luis Garcia Jr. tapper and Nathaniel Lowe walk, it was first and second with one out for Josh Bell. Bell had a rough at bat striking out on three pitches.

After Dylan Crews got hit, Jose Tena stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to be a hero. However, he hit a soft liner, getting Huascar Brozoban and the Mets out of the inning.

Jackson Rutledge was shaky in his second inning of work, allowing the first two runners to reach base. After a wild pitch, it was second and third with nobody out. However, Rutledge got two ground balls. Jorge Lopez would come in and induce yet another ground out to get out of the jam. That would leave it all to the bottom of the ninth, for all the marbles.

The ultra clutch Alex Call got a leadoff double to start the frame. Alex Call just needs to play more. The lineup is much more potent with him in there compared to Jacob Young. He reached base three times today, something that has become a common occurrence for him.

Despite hitting the three run homer that got the Nats back into the game, Riley Adams was pinch hit for bringing Keibert Ruiz into the game. Keibert had a very professional at bat, moving the runner to third base on a ground ball to the second baseman.

That brought up CJ Abrams, who had a rough day to that point. He was 0-4 with 3 K’s to that point. Quickly, the Nationals shortstop fell behind 1-2 against the flame throwing Ryne Stanek. However, after fighting some really tough pitches, he drove a splitter through the infield to tie the game.

After a James Wood walk, Luis Garcia Jr. stepped to the plate. It had already been an eventful day for the second baseman. His double that Juan Soto lost in the sun started this rally. He also made a fantastic catch early in the game, where it looked like he had really hurt himself.

But here we are, in the bottom of the ninth with one out and men on first and second. Against all odds, the Nationals are not only in this game, but have a chance to win it.

Garcia hit a ground ball deep to the first baseman, making it an awkward play for Pete Alonso. It ended up being too awkward for him to pull off, as he overthrew the pitcher Stanek. For the second time in three days, CJ Abrams raced home to give the Nationals a walk off win.

This game was baseball at its finest. The Nationals showed a never say die attitude that makes fans fall in love with the game. They kept battling and chipping away until they finally got the job done. The Washington Nationals were not to be denied this afternoon.