Nationals overcome 4-0 deficit to beat Mets
WASHINGTON -- Ben Revere had four hits and stole three bases, Danny Espinosa had three hits and drove in two runs and Anthony Rendon had two hits and drove in three as the hit-happy Washington Nationals overcame an early 4-0 deficit to record an 11-4 win on Monday against the New York Mets.
The first-place Nationals (45-32) are now four games ahead of the Mets (40-35), who won two of three in Washington last month. Washington tied a franchise record with six steals in the game and had 17 hits.
Every starter in the Nationals starting lineup had at least one hit, while Bryce Harper had two hits after batting just .232 in his previous 15 games. Daniel Murphy added two hits for Washington to lift his average to .350.
The winning pitcher was Joe Ross (7-4), who gave up four runs in the first three innings but then settled down to pitch three scoreless frames before Felipe Rivero took over in the seventh.
Noah Syndergaard (8-3), who gave up five earned runs, was tagged with the loss after he had given up just eight earned runs in his previous eight starts combined. His ERA rose to 2.49.
Rendon had a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Nationals a 11-4 lead against reliever Erik Goeddel, but most of the damage was done with five runs in the third and four in the fifth.
Travis d'Arnaud had three hits for the Mets, who have lost six of their last 10. Curtis Granderson, rookie Brandon Nimmo, Wilmer Flores and Yoenis Cespedes added two hits for New York.
New York took a 1-0 lead in the first as Granderson led off with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Neil Walker off Ross.
The Mets dodged a bullet in the last of the first as the Nationals loaded the bases with no outs.
But Mets first baseman James Loney made a good play as he threw out the speedy Revere at the plate on a grounder off the bat of Daniel Murphy. That kept the bases loaded and Wilson Ramos, the next batter, hit into a double play to end the threat.
Granderson had an RBI single in the second to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
New York got four straight hits to start the third. Loney had an RBI double and Flores followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.
But Washington stormed back in the third with five runs to take the lead at 5-4. The Nationals had four steals in the inning and an RBI single by Harper, a fielder's choice RBI by Murphy, and RBI singles by Anthony Rendon and Espinosa.
That uprising sent Mets starter Syndergaard to the showers as he allowed five runs on seven hits in three innings. He was replaced by Sean Gilmartin.
Murphy drove in a run with a single in the fourth off Gilmartin to pad the margin to 6-4.
Espinosa, the No. 8 hitter in the lineup, had his third straight hit -- an RBI double -- to build the lead to 7-4 in the fifth. Revere drove in a run with a fielder's choice and Jayson Werth had a two-run double to make it 10-4.
A right-hander, Syndergaard entered Monday with an 8-2 record and a 2.08 ERA this season. He is the first starter in the modern era to have at least five starts with 10 or more strikeouts and no walks in his first 38 career games, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
NOTES: Mets LF Brandon Nimmo, who made his MLB debut on Sunday, got his first big league hit with a single in the second inning. He also had an infield single in the third before he fanned in the fifth. ... The Nationals called up RHP and reliever Rafael Martin (1-3, 4.40 with Triple-A Syracuse) on Monday after RHP Stephen Strasburg went on the disabled list Sunday. ... Washington manager Dusty Baker also announced before Monday's game that RHP Lucas Giolito, one of the top prospects in the minors, will be called up to make his major-league debut on Tuesday against the Mets. Giolito, 21, has made 14 starts this year for Double-A Harrisburg of the Eastern League and is 5-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 71 innings, with 72 strikeouts and 34 walks and 67 hits allowed. "He's ready for the task. I like what I saw in spring training," Baker said of Giolito. ... Mets manager Terry Collins said RHP Matt Harvey (4-9, 4.64) is slated to start Tuesday against the Nationals. ... The Nationals were coming off a three-city road trip, which saw the team go 3-7, as a win in Milwaukee on Sunday ended a seven-game losing streak. ... The Mets began a stretch Monday of 14 games in 14 days against the Nationals, Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy (.349) and C Wilson Ramos (.342) entered the game ranked 1-2 in the National League in hitting.