Deja Vu All Over Again, Mets Bullpen Implodes , Nats Pen Shuts Offense Down in Brutal 9-3 Loss

Nationals 9 Mets 3 (Nationals Park, Washington, DC)

Mets record: 67-60

Mets streak: Lost 2

Last 10: 4-6

WP - Jackson Rutledge (2-2)

LP - Sean Manaea (1-2)

S- Jose A. Ferrer ( 4 )

Seat on the Korner: Riley Adams

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.

Today’s Seat on the Korner goes to Riley Adams, who delivered the decisive blow in Washington’s comeback win. Adams went 2-for-3 with two RBI, including a sharp two-run single in the fifth that flipped the game in the Nationals’ favor. The catcher has quietly been swinging a hot bat for more than a month. Dating back to July 11, and with today’s performance included, Adams is now batting .284 with a .361 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage. In that span, he’s collected four doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, 10 walks, a stolen base, and 13 runs scored—production that made him an easy choice for Ralph Kiner’s virtual postgame chat chair.

Need to Know

• The Mets failed to rebound after they dropped Wednesday’s contest 5–4 after falling behind 4–0 by the third inning and going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position while hitting into three rally-killing double plays, despite jumping out to a 3-0 lead today.

• Brett Baty has reached base safely in eight straight games and is riding a five-game hitting streak (6-for-22, 2 HR). He’s up to 15 homers on the year with a chance to reach 20.

• The Mets’ lineup was shorthanded: Francisco Álvarez is on the IL (thumb injury) and Brandon Nimmo was pulled Wednesday with a stiff neck. Jeff McNeil did not start as he manages right shoulder soreness.

• Luisangel Acuña exited last night’s game for Syracuse after a collision running to first base.

• Francisco Lindor is riding an nine-game hitting streak after his lead off home run. It's his eighth leadoff homer of the season, a franchise record. He is 19 for his last 38 , and he and Juan Soto both have 20/20 seasons, joining rare company in Mets history.

• Mark Vientos is heating up, hitting .357 (5-for-14) with two homers over his last four games.

• New York is 26–36 on the road this season .

• Paul DeJong went 0-4 thus ending his nine-game hitting streak,

• James Wood with his 8th inning 3 run home run is now one of just nine players in MLB with 26+ homers and 15+ steals this year.Jeff

Turning Point

The game swung in the bottom of the fifth with the Mets up 3–1. After Brady House singled to center, Jacob Young dropped a sacrifice bunt toward first. Pete Alonso charged and, rather than taking the sure out at first, tried to cut down House at second—House beat the throw. Instead of a runner on second with one out, Washington had the tying runs aboard with nobody out. The Nats still gave the Mets an out on a James Wood fly to left, but a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases and Paul DeJong’s sac fly made it 3–2. After an Andrés Chaparro walk reloaded the bases and chased Sean Manaea, Riley Adams lined a two-run single off Tyler Rogers to flip the game, 4–3, capping an inning that included with one poor decision and ended with the Mets behind.

Three Keys

Not a Juan-derful Series

If this series carried any special meaning for Juan Soto, who broke into the majors as a phenom with the Nationals back in 2018, it didn't translate to his performance. His return to Washington was far from triumphant. Soto’s 17-game on-base streak came to an end Thursday as he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Over the three-game set, he managed just one hit in 11 at-bats with six strikeouts, good for a .091 average in his old home park. Washington’s fans were reminded of what once was, while the Mets were left hoping Soto’s bat heats up again as the Wild Card race tightens.

National Guard Not Required, But Nats Bullpen Still Holds the Line

For the second day in a row, Washington’s bullpen shut down a Mets lineup that had several opportunities to tie or take the lead.

MacKenzie Gore got the start for the Nationals, working 4.1 innings while allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts. But the real story was what followed. Tyler Rutledge, Cole Beeter, Aaron Poulin, Cole Henry, and Jose A. Ferrer combined for 4.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit, striking out five, and shutting the door on New York.

Yesterday’s bullpen effort had set the tone. After starter Brad Lord went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, Cole Henry came in to navigate a bases-loaded jam without giving up a run. The trio of Ogasawara, Beeter, and Ferrer combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out a batter and keeping the Mets off the scoreboard.

Over the two-game stretch, the Nationals pen displayed textbook execution: efficient, opportunistic, and unflappable under pressure. In a series where the Mets had multiple chances to seize control, the Washington relievers preserved leads, turned tight games into controlled finishes.

The Nationals’ relief corps has now posted back-to-back dominant performances, proving that in the nation’s capital, it’s not just politics making headlines.

Time to Panic When You See Stanek

For Ryne Stanek, August has been a month to forget. Over seven appearances totaling 5.1 innings, the veteran reliever has posted a 18.56 ERA, allowing 11 earned runs on 11 hits, including two home runs, while walking five and striking out just five. Opposing hitters have hit a blistering .407 against him, and his WHIP sits at a concerning 3.00.

Stanek’s difficulties began on August 1 against the Giants, when he allowed a run in a one-inning outing. The struggles continued in San Francisco on August 3, giving up five runs on three hits in just 2/3 of an inning. A pair of appearances in Milwaukee and Seattle offered little respite, as he failed to find consistent command or shut down opposing hitters.

His two recent outings in Washington have been particularly rough. Today, Stanek gave up four runs on three hits in just one inning, pushing his ERA past 18 for the month. Even when the results weren’t disastrous, his peripheral stats suggested trouble: a WHIP above 1.5, weak groundball-to-airball ratio, and multiple free passes.

With the team fighting for a Wild Card spot, the right-hander will need to find his form quickly if New York hopes to avoid late-inning collapses down the stretch.