After a rough weekend in Atlanta, the Mets traveled home for their final series of the regular season. There was faint hope that New York could still win the National League East, but those dreams officially died on Tuesday.
While the Mets swept a doubleheader from the Nationals, the Braves beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 to officially win their fifth straight division title. But still, it was a notable night for the Amazins, who reached 100 wins for just the fourth time in franchise history. It’s the first time the Mets have reached that benchmark since 1988.
After this final tune-up, Buck Showalter’s club gets Thursday off before hosting the first playoff game at Citi Field since 2016.
So, what happened?
Game 1
- Mets 4, Nationals 2
- Winning pitcher: Adam Ottavino (6-3, 2.06 ERA)
- Losing pitcher: Cory Abbott (0-5, 5.25)
- Save: Edwin Diaz (32)
- Home runs hit: Riley Adams, Brandon Nimmo
Game 2
- Mets 8, Nationals 0
- Winning pitcher: Stephen Nogosek (1-1, 2.45)
- Losing pitcher: Paulo Espino (0-9, 4.84)
- Home runs hit: Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez
Game 3
- Mets 9, Nationals 2
- Winning pitcher: Trevor Williams (3-5, 3.21)
- Losing Pitcher: Erick Fedde (6-13, 5.81)
- Home runs hit: Mark Canha, James McCann, Alex Call
Mets players who thrived
New York’s offense put up a lot of crooked numbers in this series. That was especially the case over the final two games. Mark Canha had a great series, which was capped off with a three-hit night (including a three-run homer) in the regular-season finale. James McCann joined him by having a three-hit night that included a three-run homer of his own.
Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso enjoyed some big performances, but none were bigger than Brandon Nimmo. He played both games of the doubleheader and recorded six hits in eight plate appearances. Four of those went for extra bases (two doubles, two homers) while he also drove in six runs.
New York’s pitching staff allowed four total runs over this three-game set. So, many hurlers did well, like Stephen Nogoshek, Adam Ottavino, and Edwin Diaz. Taijuan Walker lasted just 4.1 innings but also struck out 10 hitters. In the finale, Trevor Williams picked up the win by tossing six innings in relief of opener Mychal Givens. He allowed two runs on six hits, no walks, and six strikeouts.
Mets players who struggled
Eduardo Escobar went hitless in the two games he appeared in on Tuesday. Francisco Lindor also continued his funk in spots against the Nationals but seemed to break out in Games 2 and 3. He hit a long homer in the first inning of the nightcap on Tuesday before adding a three-run double in the finale.
There were 12 different Mets pitchers who took the mound in this series. The only two who surrendered runs were Williams and Carlos Carrasco. Cookie’s finish to the season didn’t go how he wanted. Although he only allowed two runs in four innings, it was accompanied by five hits allowed (one homer), one walk, and three strikeouts.
Nationals players who gave New York a hard time
Only pushing four runs across the plate obviously didn’t lead to much offense for Washington. Riley Adams hit a two-run homer in the series opener, while Alex Call hit a two-run homer of his own in the finale.
Nationals pitching didn’t do a ton of great stuff at the start of games, but the bullpen mostly held up after contests were out of reach. Hunter Harvey, Erasmo Ramirez, Jordan Weems, and Andres Machado all registered multiple shutout innings of relief.
Miscellaneous Mets notes
The Mets led off Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader with back-to-back-to-back home runs off the bats of Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, and Jeff McNeil. It was the first time that’s happened in Mets history and only the eighth time it’s ever happened.
Nimmo is officially over the century mark for runs scored for the first time in his MLB career. Just in time for free agency.
Carrasco’s four innings pitched on Tuesday was the third straight time he failed to complete at least five. It was also the fifth time he’s failed to do so in his last seven starts.
Alonso won the National League RBI title and tied Aaron Judge for the MLB lead with 131.
McNeil secured his first career batting title. His .326 average just barely bested Freddie Freeman and was the best in baseball.
Lindor finished with 6.8 fWAR, which is among the top-10 of MLB position players.
Francisco Alvarez notched his first two MLB hits on Tuesday night. His first one was a 439-foot home run, and the other was a 108-mph double.
A very good dog enjoyed Bark in the Park and nabbed a special souvenir.
The Mets finished the regular season with 101 wins, which is the second-most in franchise history. They also finished in a first-place tie with the Braves atop the NL East. Since New York went 9-10 against Atlanta, the Braves owned the tiebreaker.
What’s next on the schedule?
The Wild Card Series at Citi Field will be taking place on Friday, Saturday, and, if necessary, Sunday. Friday’s start time is 8:07 pm ET, with first pitch currently scheduled for 7:37 pm ET on Saturday and Sunday.
Each of these games will be aired on ESPN, while the radio broadcasts will be on WCBS 880 as usual.
As for probable pitchers, the Padres will be sending Yu Darvish to the hill in Game 1. We don’t know the rest of San Diego’s plans at the moment. The Mets will send Max Scherzer to the mound, and how this game goes could dictate when we see Jacob deGrom take the ball.
So, there are some moving parts here, but there’s one constant through it all: Mets postseason baseball is coming back to Queens.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
