Mets Sweep Nats, Tie For First Place

The New York Mets are now in first place, at least in a tie, for the first time since 2008.  Entering the weekend the Nats had a chance to bury the Mets in the NL East but they failed, miserably.  Now the Nationals leave New York with their division foes tied with them in the division.  In front of a ruckus crowd at Citi Field and a national TV audience these ball clubs took center stage for Sunday Night Baseball.

The Nationals looked to make a statement to start the game and they got it on an Anthony Rendon home run in the first inning.  Rendon, batting second, hit one just above the centerfield wall.  It was originally ruled a base hit but the play got reviewed and overturned for the homer.  After allowing that home run however, Mets rookie starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard settled down.  At one point he retired 13 consecutive batters on the way to his sixth win.  He allowed seven hits and two runs, walked none and struck out nine.

In the bottom of the third, Curtis Granderson hit a two run homer into the right field stands to give the Mets a 2-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish.  Before the crowd could sit down, Daniel Murphy followed with a home run to right field right into the Pepsi Porch.  The back-to-back homers put the sellout crowd into a frenzy.  Two batters later with Yoenis Cespedes on, Lucas Duda continued his hot streak as he homered to right field making it 5-2 Mets.  Duda has now homered nine times in the last eight games, all at home.  All five runs in that third inning came on two outs.

The only run the Nats could muster the rest of the game came in the top of the sixth with a solo shot by Yunel Escobar but the Nats bats were quiet much of the night facing a pitcher the fans of NY call "Thor."  Syndergaard threw a total of 109 pitches with his last pitch thrown resulting in a strikeout of Bryce Harper.  To add insult to injury Tyler Clippard, a former Nat, picked up the save.  Clippard got traded to the Mets earlier last week and said the Nats were "beatable."  After this weekend, he could be right.

It was only August 2 yet this contest felt like a playoff game.  Citi Field was rocking all weekend long like those days the Mets played at Shea Stadium.  I have never heard that place this loud.  The Nationals look to regroup with a four game series beginning tonight at Nats Park against the Arizona D-Backs.  The Mets will be in Miami for a three game set against the Marlins.