The New York Mets rolled past the Washington Nationals 8-1 on Tuesday night, with pitcher David Peterson delivering another strong outing, Mark Vientos homering for the second straight game, and the Mets riding a three-game win streak.
Peterson improved to 8-5, extending his scoreless streak against Washington to 25 innings dating to last season. He finally allowed a run when Dylan Crews opened the eighth with a triple and scored on a double-play grounder. Peterson worked eight innings, allowing four hits, striking out 10 and walking one.
The Mets provided plenty of offense, led by Juan Soto’s 31st homer of the season, Jeff McNeil’s homer and three RBIs, and Brett Baty’s homer. Vientos added his ninth long ball of the year with a two-run shot off Jake Irvin. McNeil also delivered a two-run double in the third inning and later connected for a solo homer in the ninth off Jackson Rutledge.
New York had looked like it was breaking out of a late-July funk, dropping 14 of 16 before this three-game run in three states that began at Citi Field and continued at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where Vientos hit a three-run homer.
Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about giving Vientos more opportunity, noting his power from last season’s 27 homer performance in 111 games and his current role getting back into a rhythm.
Key moment: Peterson faced the minimum through five innings, but the sixth brought his first real stress when Andrés Chaparro doubled to lead off and Jacob Young singled, though Peterson then struck out James Wood and got CJ Abrams to fly out.
Key stat: Peterson logged his 16th start of six or more innings this season, placing him ahead of the rest of the Mets rotation in that category.
Up next: Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets against the Nationals’ Brad Lord on Wednesday night.
Takeaway: The Mets are building momentum with strong pitching and balanced hitting, getting production from veterans and emerging contributors alike. With another quality start from Senga on deck, New York will look to keep its hot stretch going and extend its position in the standings.
Summary: A dominant night for Peterson, a trio of home runs from Soto, McNeil, and Baty, and a continued resurgence from Vientos helped the Mets win comfortably in Washington, signaling a potential turning point after a rough stretch.