Mets win arms race against Washington with stellar bullpen work

Mets 4 Nationals 1 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 54-69

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Jonathan Pintaro (1-0)

LP - Andrew Alvarez (2-4)

SV - Kodai Senga (2)

Seat on the Korner: Jonathan Pintaro

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

I always enjoy giving flowers to middle relievers, and with so many Mets playing small parts in tonight's victory, let's recognize a guy who has been on the Syracuse Shuttle for a while. Jonathan Pintaro pitched two scoreless innings giving up just a hit and a walk while striking out two to earn his first career major league victory. This revamped Mets bullpen has been asked to do a lot since the trade deadline exodus, and they have kept it together with a 3.19 ERA since the trading deadline.

Need to Know

• Francisco Lindor's home run in the 6th inning ended Andrew Alvarez'shomerless streak at 57 and 1/3 innings (June 3rd), and only the third homer he's allowed this season.

• Carson Benge's RBI single in the 6th extended his on base streak to 17 games.

• Robert Stock bounced back from his start against the Pirates with a 4 and 1/3 inning effort where he only gave up one unearned run. He gave up three hits and three walks while striking out five (tied for a career high), and he threw a career high 84 pitches.

• C.J. Abrams was 10-for-25 this season against Mets coming in, and he was 1-for-2 with two walks as the Mets effectively pitched around him.

• Seven members of the starting lineup had one hit each for the Mets.

• Jared Young's home run in the 7th gave him a .300 average in August.

• Former Met Max Kranick pitched 1 and 1/3 innings against his former team, giving up two hits but striking out three.

• Mets pitchers held the Nationals to just an unearned run and five hits on the night.

Turning Point

Andrew Alvarez came into tonight with a homerless streak of 51 and 2/3 innings and made it to two outs in the 6th without giving up a dinger, seeing two balls die on the track along the way. But Francisco Lindor got a hanger and put it into the stands.

From there, the worm continued to turn ...

Three Keys

Turning Point (Extended Remix)

Alvarez ran into some bad luck after Lindor's homer. He got Bo Bichette to swing at a curveball at what should have been a three-pitch strikeout. But the pitch got away from Keibert Ruiz and Alvarez's throw to first was similarly wild and Bichette reached first (and good for Bichette for being heads up and taking off for forst base.)

That was all for Alvarez as Blake Butera turned the game over to perhaps one of the worst bullpens that Washington has ever seen. (And if you were lucky enough to sit through Buzz Dozier's 1949 season, you'll know that a Nationals bullpen being worse than that is a feat.)

Jake Bird allowed an inherited runner to score on Carson Benge's single that you saw above, then gave up two more runs in the 7th on a long homer by Jared Young and a run scoring single by Bichette to give the Mets a 4-1 lead.

That ball by Young was absolutely obliterated.

Rising Stock

All due credit to Robert Stock for coming back from what was a horrific outing last Saturday. He only lasted 4 and 1/3 while facing a good but compromised Nationals lineup. But found some nasty stuff in his bag to throw at the Nats.

Can Kodai Senga Really Close for This Team?

Kodai Senga as a closer could really turn out to be a sleeping giant once he gets the routine down. Remember, this is a guy who was not only entrenched on a starter's routine, but he was given every path to having a routing similar to the one he had while pitching in Japan with extra days off at every turn. Now he has to figure out how to pitch on a different routine. Inning at a time, warm up at a moment's notice, pitch with just one day's rest or back-to-back nights (which he hasn't done yet), entrance music, etc. Has it been perfect? As evidenced by tonight, no. But 9 strikes in 14 pitches is impressive for a guy who has had his problems hitting his spots. And his pure stuff plays as a closer. Hard fastball, devastating ghost fork. He's had four scoreless innings in August a closer/late inning guy, and he hasn't given up a run while giving up a hit, walking two, and hitting a batter on his way to two saves. If he can embrace the routine of being a closer or perhaps an 8th inning reliever, he might play a more prominent role in 2027 than anyone would have had a right to expect.

The evaluation portion of this season might be as crucial for Senga as anyone on the roster, if not more.