*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
Old slugger Nelson Cruz was one of two notable signings by the Washington Nationals this offseason, and it's not hurting them so far. Cruz homered, punctuated a late comeback, and the Nationals rallied to defeat the New York Mets with a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon in Washington.
The win prevents the Nationals from an opening series sweep at the hands of one of their division rivals, and came on the day that the Nats debuted their city connect uniforms for the 2022 season, with their uniforms paying homage to the cherry blossoms famous in Washington. It was Cruz who led the way, driving in 3 of the 4 Nats runs in the win.
Mets starter Carlos Carrasco said of Cruz that "He's really good. I'm pretty sure I'm in the book right there, that was his 450th homer. But it's really impressive the way he takes care of himself, the way he works out and everything."
Cruz got the Nationals on the board right away, blasting a solo home run to center field in the first inning, his first homer of the season. In the 4th, the Mets had other plans, with Francisco Lindor blasting a solo home run to tie the game up 1-1, and Mark Canha singling in Eduardo Escobar, making it a 2-1 lead in favor of the Mets.
It remained that way until the 8th inning. With Dee Strange-Gordon pinch running, Lucius Fox laid down a bunt, scoring Strange-Gordon and tying the game 2-2 late. It didn't stop there, as Cruz connected on a two run single into center field, scoring Fox and Cesar Hernandez to make it 4-2 Nationals.
Cruz said of singling in the 8th that "You're not going to hit homers every at-bat. So definitely you have to also feed off of singles and walks, get some productive outs if you get outs. That's the beauty of the game."
Reliever Kyle Finnegan got the win for the Nationals, pitching a scoreless 8th inning and striking out one hitter. Erick Fedde got the start for Washington, getting a no decision after throwing 5 innings, allowing two runs on 5 hits and two walks, recording 5 strikeouts. Steve Cishek and Sean Doolittle had scoreless appearances, and Tanner Rainey picked up the save.
It was the Mets' Trevor Williams that got the loss, also blowing a save in the process, allowing two runs on two hits. Carrasco got the start, lasting 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking no one and striking out 5 hitters. Chasen Shreve picked up a hold with 1 1/3 innings of one run ball.
Williams said of the opening series that "What makes baseball fun is the challenges involved. The takeaway from this weekend was we had a great series win. We played some really good baseball. And I think moving forward, especially going into Philadelphia, we’ve got a lot of momentum."
Both teams get back in action on Monday, with the Nationals traveling to face the Atlanta Braves, with Anibal Sanchez to start the series opener. The Mets hit the road for a series against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Taijuan Walker to get the start.
Comments
Post a Comment