Behind J.D. Davis’ 3-for-4 day featuring his second home run of the year and Taijuan Walker’s gem, the New York Mets (9-8) took the rubber game of their three-game set Sunday afternoon in a 4-0 victory over the Washington Nationals (8-11).
Both Davis and Pete Alonso provided home runs on the day, getting to Nationals starter Patrick Corbin — who has continued to struggle mightily as the third part of Washington’s power trio of pitchers alongside Max Scherzer and the injured Stephen Strasburg.
After allowing four runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings of work, Corbin’s ERA swelled up to 10.47 this season.
Walker rebounded nicely from his implosion in Chicago against the Cubs last week, posting seven scoreless innings while allowing three hits and three walks with four strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.14.
Davis continued his owning of Corbin, launching his fourth homer off the southpaw in his career and his second round-tripper of the 2021 season 406 feet to center field to put the Mets up 2-0 in the first inning after Alonso walked.
After a shaky start that included two walks and some hard-hit balls that was bailed out by some now-uncharacteristic good defense — most notably on a relay to cut down Victor Robles trying to stretch a double into a triple — Walker settled down, retiring eight-straight between the third to sixth innings.
The Mets tacked on another run in the fourth behind three-straight hits — a single from Davis and a double from Conforto setting the table for a James McCann RBI single to go up 3-0.
They loaded the bases later in the inning with two outs, but Brandon Nimmo was punched out on strikes looking at a 3-2 pitch from Corbin that clearly missed the zone and was identical to one just moments earlier that was called for a ball.
Alonso led off the fifth with a laser beam of a home run — his fifth in 59 at-bats — to dead center field that traveled 439 feet and left the bat at 109.1 mph.
It was followed by more missed opportunities, though.
After Francisco Lindor followed Alonso with a single, Corbin’s day was done before he could record an out in the fifth. Off Austin Voth, Davis picked up his third hit of the afternoon in as many at-bats, advancing Lindor to third, but he would be thrown out at home trying to tag up on a Conforto fly for a double play. James McCann would strike out to end the threat with Davis at second.
Walker ran into trouble in the sixth inning, allowing a walk to Yadiel Hernandez before hitting Trea Turner with one out in the frame. He found a way to battle out of it through the heart of the Nationals’ lineup, coaxing a fielder’s choice from Josh Bell before Albert Almora made a marauding, leaping catch at the wall after a long run from mid-center-field off a deep drive from Kyle Schwarber. He retired the side in order in the seventh inning to end his day on a high note.
Reliever Miguel Castro managed to wriggle his way out of a one-out jam with runners on second and third following a wild pitch by striking out Ryan Zimmerman and Bell in succession in the eighth. Edwin Diaz would shut the door on the Nationals in the ninth to ensure the Mets’ second win of the series once again came in shoutout form.
