Two-Run Alvarez Blast and 6 Pitchers Lead Mets to 2-0 Shutout

Mets 2 Nationals 0 (Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.)

Mets Record: 19-8

Mets Streak: W1

Mets Last 10: 7-3

WP: Clay Holmes (3-1)

LP: Brad Lord (0-3)

Save : Edwin Diaz (7)

Seat On The Korner: Clay Holmes

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.

Facing a Nationals team that had been playing some of its best baseball — winners of five of their last seven overall and eight of their last 11 home games since March 30 against Philadelphia — Holmes delivered exactly the kind of outing the Mets needed. Washington entered the game with a 6-4 record over its last 10 games and an impressive 8-5 mark at Nationals Park, but Holmes shut them down cold.

Dealing with a rain delay before the first pitch and a second stoppage in the bottom of the first — the kind of disruptions that can easily rattle a starting pitcher — Holmes stayed calm and in control. He tossed five shutout innings, allowing just four hits, walking none, and striking out two. He worked efficiently, throwing 70 pitches (44 for strikes), and generated a remarkable 10 groundouts to just one flyout, showing that his signature sinker was right on target.

Holmes lowered his ERA to 2.64 with today’s performance, and more importantly, set the tone for a Mets staff that continues to lead the majors with a sparkling 2.28 ERA among starters. It was a throwback kind of performance — tough, steady, and unbothered by anything that happened around him — making Clay Holmes a no-brainer to pull up a chair on the Korner today.

Need To Know:

• The start of the game was delayed 25 minutes due to rain, and there was another delay in the bottom of the first inning.

  
  

• Francisco Lindor is now batting .480 (12-25) with six extra-base hits as the first batter of the game.

• Jeff McNeil made his third career start in center field — his first since September 24, 2023. He did not have a chance to record his first putout since catching a fly ball from Trea Turner in the third inning against Philadelphia 580 days ago.

• The Mets are 17-6 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 14 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 Clay Holmes' five shutout innings, the Mets' starting staff lowered its MLB-best ERA to 2.28 (35 earned runs over 138.0 innings) through 27 games this season. They have also recorded 146 strikeouts.

• Coming into today's start Clay Holmes' 34 strikeouts had him tied with Chris Bassitt and Matt Harvey for the fourth-most in Mets history by a

  pitcher in their first five games with the club.Only Pedro Martínez (46), Max Scherzer (42) and Dwight Gooden (36) had more through their first

  four outings with the club.Holmes is one of nine pitchers in franchise history to record two or more wins and 30 or more strikeouts in their first

  five games with the franchise along with Martínez, Scherzer, Santana, Bassitt, Gooden, Harvey, Kodai Senga and Noah Syndergaard.

• Clay Holmes has yet to allow a home run through his first six starts of the season.He is one of six pitchers in the majors this season to not

  allow a home run and pitch at least 20.0 innings.

• The Mets are 8-1 in their last 9 games and have outscored their opponents 40-22.

• The Mets are.500 on the road (7-7)

• The Nationals wore the new City Connect uniforms that pay tribute to the city's quadrants, grand avenues, and traffic circles — the streets that connect and bring Washingtonians home. Dubbed the "District Blueprint," the design features a new block-style "W" surrounding the outline of the Capitol Dome, flanked by iconic cherry blossoms. The patch sits on a tile background inspired by some of Washington’s most recognizable architecture, including the Capitol rotunda, the Library of Congress, and the city's brutalist Metro stations. The interlocking "DC" on the chest, worn by the Nationals from 2006 to 2010, returns with a 3D update in a nod to the 1956 Washington Senators logo. A mosaic detail trims the white pants, adding another touch of city pride.

  
  
  
  

Turning Point

For the second time in a week, Max Kranick was called upon in an emergency situation — and once again, he rose to the occasion.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kranick entered the game when Edwin Díaz cramped up, and today, after Reed Garrett navigated through the 7th inning, Kranick was thrust into another high-pressure spot. AJ Minter started the 8th, striking out CJ Abrams, but after falling behind 3-1 on James Wood, Minter took himself out of the game due to an apparent injury. Kranick threw a ball to Wood, walking him, but the walk was officially charged to Minter.

Kranick then showed his mettle. He struck out Nathaniel Lowe swinging and, after an epic battle with Josh Bell, got him to pop out to Luisangel Acuña. With that, Kranick preserved the Mets' 2-0 lead and passed the baton to Edwin Díaz, who issued 1 walk and struck the side to secure the win.

It was another clutch moment for Kranick, whose ability to come through in these emergency situations has been crucial for the Mets in tight spots.

Déjà Vu for Francisco Alvarez

For the second straight season, Francisco Alvarez wasted no time getting on the board. Last year, Alvarez hit his first home run of the season in his first at-bat of his second game, a solo shot off DL Hall in the bottom of the second inning against the Brewers. This year, the script felt eerily familiar: in his second game of the season, Alvarez again homered in his first at-bat, this time launching a two-run shot off Brad Lord in the top of the second inning. Same early-season power, same quick impact — just a new chapter in what’s becoming a familiar story.

The Other Francisco

It was an eventful afternoon for Francisco Lindor, who found himself on the wrong end of two video reviews — but didn't let it slow him down. In the first inning, after singling to center, Lindor was running on a 3-2 pitch to Juan Soto. When Soto struck out, Lindor tried to sidestep CJ Abrams' tag on a throw from catcher Keibert Ruiz and was initially ruled safe at second. However, the Nationals challenged and replay showed Lindor was clearly tagged before reaching the bag. Then, in the bottom of the second, Lindor fielded a grounder from rookie speedster Dylan Crews but double-clutched getting the ball out of his glove. Though Crews was initially ruled out, another challenge overturned the call. Despite the tough luck, Lindor stayed locked in at the plate, finishing the day a perfect 3-for-4, including a perfectly place bunt single. It was Lindor's fifth 3 hit game this season.

Reed(ing) is Fundamental

After Clay Holmes turned in five shutout innings to quiet a hot Nationals team, the Mets once again handed the game to their bullpen — and they delivered under pressure.

First up was Daniel Young, who had to work around immediate trouble. After giving up a leadoff single to CJ Abrams, Young buckled down and struck out the heart of the Nationals lineup — James Wood, Nathaniel Lowe, and Josh Bell — in order, an impressive escape against three of Washington’s biggest bats.

From there, it was Reed Garrett’s turn to protect the slim lead. Garrett entered the game as the only pitcher in the majors this season to inherit at least nine runners without allowing a single one to score — and he kept that streak alive. The Nationals mounted a serious threat, putting the tying runs on first and third with two outs, but Garrett stayed composed and got Jacob Young to line out sharply to Luisangel Acuña to end the inning.

Garrett's brilliance has been a quiet but crucial weapon for the Mets all season. He has now not allowed an earned run in any of his 13 outings this year, and in 26 of his last 27 games dating back to August 22, 2024. Over that span, he has posted a 1.50 ERA (4 ER/24.0 IP) with 27 strikeouts against just eight walks.