Mets fall 7-4 to Nationals despite early homer from Brett Baty

Brett Baty got things going early for the New York Mets today. He smashed a two run home run in the very first inning of the game. The Mets looked like they were in total control right from the start. But here is the thing about spring training. A strong start does not always mean you get a win. The pitching staff could not hold onto the lead, and the Mets ended up losing to the Washington Nationals by a score of 7-4. This game showed some really good signs on offense but raised a few questions about the bullpen depth.

The Offense Starts Strong

Mike Tauchman started it off with a sharp double on a line drive to center field. He made solid contact on the very first pitch. Then, Jorge Polanco grounded out to the right side to smartly move him over to third base. That was followed by a Bo Bichette RBI single to bring in the first run.

That brought Baty to the plate. His home run to left center field put the Mets up 3-0 right away. If he keeps generating high barrel rates like that, he is going to have a massive year at the plate.

But the offense slowed down significantly after that initial burst of energy. Ronny Mauricio struck out swinging to end the scoring rally in the first inning. Jose Rojas grounded out to start his day at the plate. The bottom half of the starting lineup had a really tough time getting anything going against the Nationals pitchers. Cristian Pache walked and stole a base in the fourth inning, which is a great sign. But Jackson Cluff and Ben Rortvedt both got out to end the threat.

Mets Bullpen Struggles to Hold On

The pitching started off fine but quickly ran into trouble in the middle innings. Justin Hagenman pitched well and kept the Nationals quiet early on. Then Austin Warren came in for the fourth inning, and things got a bit messy.

The Nationals tied the game at 3-3 after stringing together a couple of line drive singles. His breaking pitches just backed up over the plate. Matt Turner took over in the fifth inning and managed to pitch a solid scoreless frame. He induced some weak contact to get out of the inning. But the sixth inning is where the game really slipped away from the Mets.

Anderson Severino entered the game in the sixth and struggled heavily with his command. He walked a batter and gave up a few hard hits, including a very costly two run double. Aaron Rozek had to come in to try and stop the bleeding. The Nationals kept hitting and extended their lead to a commanding 7-3. The Mets then handed the ball to Tanner Witt, who pitched the seventh inning, and Ofreidy Gómez handled the eighth. They both did a decent job to keep the game close, but the damage was already done. The relievers just left way too many pitches in the heart of the strike zone today.

The Mets made a lot of changes in the late innings to get their bench guys some valuable reps. Ji Hwan Bae took over in right field and ended up walking twice. Ryan Clifford played left field and also drew a couple of walks in his at bats. We also saw Corey Collins, Jacob Reimer, and Kevin Parada get some time at the plate. Marco Vargas stepped in at shortstop, while Kevin Villavicencio took over at second base. Matt Rudick came in to pinch run, and Diego Mosquera grounded out to end the game in the ninth. The young guys showed good plate discipline, but they just could not string hits together to close the gap.