Nats rally in 9th before falling to Mets in 10th

WASHINGTON -- Manager Dave Martinez has been emphasizing the Nationals’ tenacity to hang in games throughout the season. From nearly being shut out to threatening a walk-off and from forcing extra innings to facing a four-run deficit, their 6-2 loss in the series opener against the Mets on Friday was a roller coaster of hits and misses at Nationals Park.

“The boys fought back to make it 2-2,” Martinez said. “We just couldn’t finish. We’ve played so many close games this year. Like I said before, these guys are playing hard and they play till the end.”

Washington’s bats had been quiet for most of the night, putting the Nationals in a 2-0 hole after eight innings. That is, until Juan Soto sparked a late-game comeback with his 24th home run of the season off Mets closer Edwin Díaz. After Josh Bell struck out, Ryan Zimmerman drew a four-pitch walk. Andrew Stevenson replaced Zimmerman as a pinch-runner, a decision that would quickly pay off.

In the next at-bat, Riley Adams sent a double into right-center field, and a racing Stevenson barreled into home plate for the tying run. Adams reached third, and Javier Báez was charged with a throwing error.

The Nationals were in an ideal situation: a runner at third base with only one out. They’d pulled off walk-off wins at home before this season, and the stage was set for another. The rally ended, though, when Carter Kieboom struck out and Luis García grounded out to second.

“We had our opportunities. Guy on third base, less than two outs, we’ve got to move the baseball right there,” said Martinez. “It didn’t happen.”

The Nationals turned to Austin Voth in the 10th to hold the Mets, who began the inning with Francisco Lindor as the automatic runner at second base. A tied game rapidly got out of reach. Voth allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Pete Alonso in the first at-bat, kick-starting a flurry of offense.

“The ball that Alonso hit, I think, almost hit the ground,” Martinez said. “He dumped it in for a base hit, and then everything fell apart there.”

A tied game became a distant memory. Following an intentional walk to Michael Conforto, Voth gave up a two-run double to Kevin Pillar, followed by a walk and an RBI single to Jonathan Villar. He cited his location for the Mets’ success.

Voth allowed four runs (three earned), three hits, two walks (one intentional) and recorded two strikeouts in one inning. Not long after flirting with a walk-off win, the Nats found themselves with a deficit they could not overcome.

“For the most part, I was pretty happy with all of my pitches,” Voth said. “Alsonso made a good swing on a curveball. I wanted to go curveball in that situation, just didn’t bury it enough. I think the only mistake I probably made that I wish I would have gone with another pitch was the [cutter] to Pillar. I could have gone fastball up or curveball in the dirt.”

The Nationals are not looking for this extra-innings loss to linger. They will take the field again on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET for Game 1 of a doubleheader. The National League East rivals will face off four more times before the series concludes on Monday.

“We pushed a comeback,” Martinez said. “It’s just a shame that we couldn’t finish that game and win it.”