Nationals Score at Will in 25-4 Blowout of Mets

The Washington Nationals have had a tumultuous season, in third place in the N.L. East at the end of July, and while they are by no means out of the playoff hunt, they have been disappointing and underperforming as the pre season favorite. But in their game at home against the New York Mets on July 31st, the Nationals got to take out some frustration on their division rival.

Washington scored seven runs in the first inning, chasing starting pitcher Steven Matz after just 2/3 of an inning. It didn’t get much better for New York after that, reliever Jacob Rhame allowed runs in two innings of work; Tim Peterson and Tyler Bashlor combined for six more runs over the next two innings and the score was 19-0 after five innings. The Mets finally got on the board in the seventh inning on a solo home run by second baseman Jeff McNeil. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mets brought in a position player, shortstop Jose Reyes, to end the nightmare without having to go to a sixth reliever, but Reyes allowed six more runs. New York did put three on the board against Nationals reliever Shawn Kelly in the top of the ninth making the final score 25-4. The 25 runs a franchise record for Washington; the feat has only been done 10 times since 1900.

Daniel Murphy had six RBIs for the Nationals; he also is a former Met. Anthony Rendon had four RBIs, and three Nationals, including starting pitcher Tanner Roark, drove in three each.

Kelly, the Nationals pitcher in the ninth, threw his glove to the ground after giving up a home run to Austin Jackson. That cost him big time, as he was designated for assignment after the game, meaning he’s off the roster and will be traded or placed on waivers within seven days. There has been talk of a clubhouse in disarray in Washington, so this may be a step in regaining control.