Capitol Punishment: Nationals Walk Off Mets 5-4, End Win Streak at 7.

Nationals 5, Mets 4 (Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.)

Mets Record: 18-8

Mets Streak: L1

Mets Last 10: 7-3

WP: Jorge Lopez (2-0)

LP: Ryan Stanek (0-1)

Seat On The Korner: Jake Irvin

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Tonight’s seat goes to someone in a Nationals uniform—and rightfully so.

Jake Irvin may not have picked up the win, but he pitched like an ace against a Mets team that came in riding a seven-game winning streak and fresh off a sweep of the Phillies. Irvin, a 27-year-old right-hander out of Oklahoma, was nothing short of brilliant under the Friday night lights in D.C.

For 7 1/3 innings, Irvin stifled a Mets offense that had averaged nearly five runs a game over their last 10 contests. He worked quickly, confidently, and efficiently, mixing a crisp fastball with a biting curve and the occasional surprise changeup. By the time the eighth inning rolled around, Irvin had a shutout intact, having allowed just four hits and a single walk.

That bid ended when Jeff McNeil led off the eighth with a single, but Irvin rebounded by inducing a fielder’s choice from Tyrone Taylor. With his pitch count at 98, manager Davey Martinez decided to turn the game over to his bullpen—a decision that nearly unraveled the whole night, as relievers Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan coughed up the lead and allowed four Mets runs to cross the plate.

Irvin’s final line: 7 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 1 run (1 earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts.

Irvin silenced a hot lineup and gave his team every chance to win. And thanks to some late-inning heroics by Dylan Crews, José Tena, and James Wood, Irvin’s effort didn’t go to waste.

In another era, Ralph Kiner might’ve had to dust off a Nationals jersey and slide it onto the guest chair in his studio.

Tonight, that seat belongs to Jake Irvin

Need To Know:

• The Mets activated Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez from the 10-day IL prior to tonight’s game. In corresponding moves, they optioned Brett Baty and Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse..

• The Mets are 16-6 in April, putting the team on pace to challenge the National League record for most wins in April (19).

• The Mets' starting pitchers have gone 13 consecutive games without allowing a home run, which is the longest streak in the majors this season. The team's starting staff has allowed just five home runs overall, the fewest in the league.

• With the loss tonight The Mets record against the NL East stands at 5-2. They finished last season 27-16 against the division .

• Kyle Finnegan, entered tonight as one of the best closers in baseball this season, ranking 2nd in MLB with 9 saves having gone 9-for-9 in first 9 save opportunities, but tonight marked his first blown save of the year.

• The Mets are 7-1 in their last 8 games and have outscored their opponents 38-22.

• The Mets fall to one game under .500 on the road (6-7)

  
  
  
  

Turning Point

With Edwin Díaz sidelined—whether by genuine hip discomfort or the more conspiratorial “balk cover-up” theory from Wednesday night—Carlos Mendoza handed the ninth inning reins to Ryne Stanek, tasked with preserving a fragile one-run lead and extending the Mets’ winning streak to eight.

The inning began with a jolt.

Nationals rookie Dylan Crews led off and jumped on the first pitch he saw, sending a deep fly to right. Juan Soto, familiar with every corner of that Nationals Park wall from his D.C. days, gave chase. He tracked it all the way to the warning track, timed his leap—and nearly came down with a spectacular catch. But the ball clipped the top of his glove and ricocheted off the wall. Crews, hustling out of the box, raced into third with his first career triple.

Next up was José Tena, and the Mets brought the infield in, hoping to cut off the tying run. But Tena didn’t give them the chance—he grounded a sharp single up the middle, past the drawn-in defense and into center field. Crews scored easily. Game tied. Still nobody out.

Stanek coaxed a forceout from Jacob Young, then gave way to lefty A.J. Minter, who quickly got another forceout from CJ Abrams. Two outs. A flicker of hope for extras.

But James Wood had other ideas.

The towering young star, already with a hit on the night, dug in against Minter. He worked the count to full, then grounded a hard shot up the middle. Second baseman Jeff McNeil dove to his left and got a piece of it, but couldn’t stop it cleanly. The ball deflected into center, and Abrams, running on contact, came flying around third. Tyrone Taylor’s throw came in, but it was late. Abrams slid in safely, and the Nationals had walked it off, 5–4.

Three Keys:

The Triple Play That Wasn't

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the fourth, the Mets were starting to stir. Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos led off the inning with back-to-back singles, giving New York two on with nobody out and a chance to swing momentum in their direction.

Then came Jesse Winker.

Facing Nationals starter Jake Irvin, Winker ripped a hard one-hopper to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Or at least, it looked like a one-hopper to just about everyone watching—except, crucially, first-base umpire Alfonso Marquez.

Marquez ruled it a clean catch, meaning Nimmo—already off second—and Vientos—charging from first—were suddenly dead to rights. Lowe tossed to CJ Abrams at second to double off Nimmo, and Abrams fired back to first to complete what was ruled an inning-ending triple play.

The Mets dugout exploded. Manager Carlos Mendoza stormed out to argue, insisting (rightly, as replays later confirmed) that the ball had clearly hit the infield dirt before landing in Lowe’s glove. But because it was ruled a catch and not a trap, the play wasn’t subject to video review. Marquez had the call, but being stationed behind Lowe, he didn’t have the angle to clearly see the ball hit the ground. None of the other umpires offered a correction.

So instead of runners at second and third with one out and the tying run in scoring position, the Mets were abruptly cleared off the bases—and the Nationals trotted off the field to cheers and high-fives for what would go down, at least officially, as a 3-6-3 triple play.

What could have been a game-changing rally turned into a moment of disbelief—and a bitter reminder that not all bang-bang plays can be challenged.

As Keith Hernandez might’ve said from the SNY booth: “That’s a T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E call.”

Senga Settles In After a Shaky Start

Kodai Senga took the mound Thursday night riding a dominant early-season stat line: a 0.79 ERA across 22.2 innings that had quietly launched him into the early Cy Young conversation. But against a pesky Nationals lineup, the first few innings didn’t go according to script.

From the jump, Senga was tagged for hard contact. In the bottom of the second, with two outs and a runner on first, he induced what looked like an inning-ending ground ball. But a rare miscue followed a clean McNeil-to-Lindor-to-Alonso double play. Or at least, it should have been. After the double play cleared the bases, Dylan Crews laced a two-out single to left. Brandon Nimmo, perhaps forgetting there were no runners on base, uncorked a throw to third—where Mark Vientos was standing unoccupied—allowing Crews to scamper into second on the error. On the very next pitch, José Tena punched a single to center, scoring Crews and giving Washington a 1-0 lead.

In the third, it happened again. Jacob Young led off with a sharp single and promptly came around to score when CJ Abrams ripped a triple off the top of the left-centerfield wall. The Nationals were suddenly up 2-0, and Senga’s ERA was finally breathing in the 1-point-something range.

But just as quickly as things wobbled, Senga locked in.

Channeling his inner ghost—forkball, that is—Senga retired the next 11 Nationals hitters in order. His signature splitter danced and dropped out of the zone with its usual witchcraft, and he paired it with four-seam fastballs that registered at 97 and 98 mph with late life. The rhythm was smooth, the mound presence calm, and the velocity electric. If his early struggles had exposed any cracks, he quickly sealed them shut.

By the end of the sixth, Senga had turned in another quality start: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. He didn’t factor into the decision, but he gave the Mets every chance to win—just as he’s done all season long.

Taylor Made: A Defensive Play to Remember

Tyrone Taylor’s bat might not light up the scoreboard night after night, but his glove—and more specifically, his arm—remains a quiet asset for the Mets. In the bottom of the eighth with the Mets clinging to a 4-3 lead, Taylor came up with a play that won’t show up in the box score under “clutch,” but absolutely deserves that label.

Luis García roped a ball into the gap in right-center, and it looked like an easy double off the bat. But Taylor, sprinting over from center field, took a perfect angle to cut the ball off before it reached the wall. In one fluid motion, he spun and fired a one-hop dart toward second base.

Jeff McNeil was positioned to intercept the throw as the cutoff man, but as the ball sailed in his direction, shortstop Francisco Lindor could be seen waving him off—calling for the throw to go through. McNeil wisely let it pass, and Lindor applied the tag on García, who was sliding in headfirst, a split-second too late.

The throw was textbook—on time, on target, and a perfect example of Taylor’s baseball instincts. And it wasn’t just raw arm strength; it was situational awareness, fundamentals, and communication. Plays like that don’t show up in OPS or highlight reels, but they keep you in ballgames.

For a Mets team that’s been clawing out wins with grit and defense during their recent hot stretch, Taylor’s contributions are just one more reminder that every inch matters—and sometimes, it’s the guys you don’t expect who make the biggest difference.