The New York Mets Changed The Narrative In The Eighth Inning Last Night

The New York Mets and their fans have been down this road many times before. The team has gotten off to hot starts and teased the fan base with its potential before injuries or poor play brought them back to Earth. After an eighth inning meltdown against the Washington Nationals on Monday, hardened fans braced themselves to get swept and have their hopes let down yet again. The Nationals picked up a win Tuesday and held a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning last night, setting the stage for more disappointment and a whole new round of questions about whether or not the Mets’ 12-2 start was a mirage. That script flipped in dramatic fashion when the Mets scored nine runs, giving the Nationals a taste of their own medicine to salvage the series finale.

It’s hard to call any baseball game in April a must win, but last night’s contest was pretty close. If the Mets got swept, they would have let the Nationals get off the mat with a ton of momentum and found themselves in need of answers after dropping four out of five. Nine runs later, the Mets delivered a message that they are here to stay and put a big halt to the momentum Washington got from this series. The win also ensured that the Mets only lost one game in the standings to Washington instead of three, a big two game swing that could be pivotal down the line.

There is still plenty of baseball left to be played, but the Mets have definitely played with a different energy than they have in recent memory. Most past Mets’ teams would have definitely staggered through the rest of the series after Monday’s gut punching loss without a response. Instead of wallowing in their own self pity, these Mets punched back and delivered a statement that they are here to stay. The Mets have won four of the first six meetings with Washington, an important start since the two teams won’t meet again until July. The Nationals figure to be a lot healthier at that point, as they won this series without Daniel Murphy, Anthony Rendon, and Adam Eaton. The Mets should be as well, with Jason Vargas due back in the coming days while Anthony Swarzak and Kevin Plawecki should return in the next few weeks. Even though it is only April 19th, the Mets and Nationals have proven that they should be in a dog fight in the National League East this season.