NY Mets erupt for 7 in the 4th, Holmes dominates in 8-0 shutout

The New York Mets shut out the Washington Nationals 8-0 on Tuesday night at Citi Field, with Clay Holmes delivering 6 dominant innings and an offense that finally came alive all at once to secure win No. 10 on the season.

It took until game 29, but the Mets looked like the team they were supposed to be.

Bo Bichette set the tone immediately, leading off the bottom of the first with his 2nd home run of the year to right center. That was enough of a cushion for Holmes to work with, and he made it look easy — 6 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts. He was ahead in counts all night, kept Washington’s lineup off-balance, and didn’t allow so much as a runner to reach third base.

The 4th inning changed everything

The Mets were already in control, but the 4th inning turned a game into a statement. It started with back-to-back walks to Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, and then a fielding error by Nationals third baseman Jorbit Vivas — charged with 2 runs — opened the floodgates. Marcus Semien reached on that error, and two runs scored. Carson Benge followed with a 2-run single to center to push it to 5. Bichette added a sacrifice fly. Then Juan Soto crushed a 2-run home run to left center — his 2nd of the year — to make it 8-0 before Washington even changed pitchers.

Seven runs. One inning. Against a starter in Zack Littell who entered with a 7.85 ERA. The Mets made him pay for every mistake.

MJ Melendez and Ronny Mauricio each collected a hit in the rally. Francisco Alvarez went 0-for-4, but the lineup as a whole finished with 6 hits and 5 walks — a patient, productive night that looked nothing like the recent offensive stretches that have frustrated this roster.

Tobias Myers handled the 7th and 8th cleanly — 2 innings, 2 strikeouts, nothing allowed — and Craig Kimbrel closed it out with a 3-strikeout 9th. The pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts and held Washington hitless after the 6th inning.

Win No. 10 arrived looking like the Mets figured something out — but at 10-19, they have to prove Tuesday was a turning point and not just a good night against a bad pitcher. The next two games against Washington will say a lot about which one it was.