Game Chat: Mets vs Nationals, 4:05 PM

Saturday, April 26, 2025 • 4:05 PM
Nationals Park • Washington, DC
RHP Clay Holmes (2-1, 3.16) vs. RHP Brad Lord (0-2, 4.73)
SNY

For the first time in 2025, we’ll see how the Mets respond to an ugly loss.

According to the umpires, Jesse Winker lined into a triple play (the ball hit the ground before being caught), which upset the momentum in the game. Two on and no out instantly became three outs. The Mets would later overcome this thanks to a bases-clearing triple by Mark Vientos, giving the Mets the lead. Jeff McNeil couldn’t make a play in the bottom of the ninth, and the Mets went on to lose. A rough game of emotions. A hallmark of a strong club is how loose they come back after an April loss like this – hopefully we see that today!

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Pete Alonso – 1B
4. Brandon Nimmo – LF
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Jesse Winker – DH
7. Francisco Alvarez – C
8. Jeff McNeil – CF
9. Luisangel Acuña – 2B

Clay Holmes has a 3.16 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 1.364 WHIP, and a 121 ERA+ over 25 2/3 innings spread across five starts this season. He’s allowed only two runs from six hits and four walks over his last two starts, striking out 14 batters while pitching 11 innings. He completed the sixth inning in his last outing against the Cardinals, the deepest he has gone this year and the next critical step in his development as a major league starter. He also pitched six complete innings, only needing 91 pitches. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 1-1
• Riley Adams 0-1
• Josh Bell 0-2
• Alex Call 1-1
• Luis García Jr. 0-1
• Nathaniel Lowe 0-1, BB, K
• Amed Rosario 2-8, 3 K
• Keibert Ruiz 0-1
• José Tena 0-1

Opposing Lineup

1. CJ Abrams – SS
2. James Wood – LF
3. Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
4. Josh Bell – DH
5. Luis García Jr. – 2B
6. Keibert Ruiz – C
7. Dylan Crews – RF
8. José Tena – 3B
9. Jacob Young – CF

The Mets’ bats will get a look at Brad Lord this afternoon. Over 13 1/3 innings in his first major league season, Lord has a 4.73 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.875 WHIP, and an 85 ERA+ over six games, including three starts. He’s been pitching in the rotation since April 8, allowing six runs over 11 1/3 innings from 13 hits and seven walks while striking out ten. This will be the first time anyone on the Mets has seen Lord in a major league game.

Game Notes

• Over the last nine games, Mark Vientos is batting .294 (10-34) with seven runs, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, nine RBI, two walks with a .333 OBP, a .618 SLG, and a .951 OPS.
• The Mets are 16-6 in April. The team’s 16 April wins are tied with the 2006 and 2002 teams for the most wins in the month. The National League record for wins in the month in April is 19.
• As a team, the Mets have surrendered only 10 home runs, the fewest in the majors. The 10 home runs allowed are the second-fewest through the team’s first 26 games in franchise history. Only the 1968 Mets recorded fewer (8).

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mark Vientos. After the game on April 11th, Mark Vientos was slashing .109/.241/.152 on the season. Since then, he has gone 11-for-38 at the plate with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs, slashing .289/.325/.579. Vientos is the X-factor for the Mets when he provides the pop. Last weekend, he homered in back-to-back days against the Cardinals. Friday night, he came up clutch with a bases-clearing triple. All of this has raised his season slugging from .152 to .345 over the last 10 games.
2. What do the Mets do with Jeff, Tyrone, and Luisangel? We are obviously not talking about anything drastic – Jeff McNeil has only been back for one game. Essentially, the Mets have navigated a few things. They need more offensive production from center field. Tyrone Taylor, defensively, has been playing a strong center field since Jose Siri went down. Luisangel Acuña has a better glove and has started to come around with the bat at second. McNeil is a veteran, and when he’s locked in at the plate, he can consistently get on base.
3. Brandon Nimmo. Is Brandon Nimmo finally starting to break out of the funk that he’s in? He has a 78 OPS+ on the season, he hasn’t been below 100 since his rookie season. He’s now gotten on base in six consecutive games, going 6-for-24 at the plate with a walk. He’s not walking as much this season, concentrating on power, but hasn’t had an extra base hit since April 13th. Going 2-for-4 at the plate last night, and setting up the Mark Vientos triple is a positive sign!

Let’s go Mets!

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