Juan Soto’s remaining at-bat Monday evening wasn’t uncommon: He walked to open the underside of the eighth inning for his third free go of the sport.
Washington
Juan Soto leaves a lasting impression as the Nationals fall to the Mets
Neither look meant a lot in Monday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Mets, however they may imply far more by Tuesday’s 6 p.m. commerce deadline. Soto knew it, too — throughout a pitching change later within the inning, he tipped his helmet to the followers earlier than heading into the dugout.
“I’m controlling what I can management,” Soto stated. “Simply going on the market and taking part in onerous for these followers on the market. As a result of like [the fans] have been saying, they love me. So I’m going to like them again.”
Again within the fourth, Soto hit his twenty first house run of the season — off former teammate Max Scherzer. He took his time rounding the bases and touching house plate. He walked to the dugout because the followers behind it stood and clapped a bit longer to savor the second.
Scherzer certainly understood Soto’s state of affairs all too properly: He spent six-plus years with Washington earlier than being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with Trea Turner eventually yr’s deadline, a transfer that despatched the 2019 World Sequence champions right into a rebuilding part.
Scherzer’s presence on the mound was one other reminder of how a lot a corporation can change this time of yr. 9 extra innings handed Monday evening, and Soto and Bell have been nonetheless with the Nationals. However rather a lot may change within the coming hours.
On the commerce deadline final yr, the Nationals have been 47-55. After Monday’s loss, they’re 35-69 — the worst file within the majors. They’re 31 video games behind the first-place Mets within the Nationwide League East.
Soto and Bell bought to Scherzer within the first inning — with the assistance of some poor protection. Soto labored a full depend, two-out stroll, then Bell doubled down the appropriate discipline line. Initially, it appeared that will put runners on second and third, however proper fielder Starling Marte threw the ball to second — the place no teammate was current. Soto dashed house and Bell superior to 3rd — there was no Met overlaying that base, both — as Washington grabbed the lead.
Soto would face Scherzer two extra occasions, homering after which strolling within the fifth. In each at-bat, he did his signature shuffle and stared Scherzer down.
“[Scherzer] don’t prefer it,” Soto stated with a smile. “He places his face down. … He doesn’t need to have a look at me. And I perceive him as a result of he’s doing his job. And he’s giving one hundred pc — it doesn’t matter how good our relationship is.”
Soto flashed his arm when he threw out Tomás Nido on the plate to finish a second inning that would’ve been worse for starter Patrick Corbin, who was laboring. Regardless of Soto’s contributions, New York nonetheless led 3-1.
Washington completed with simply six hits. Following Soto’s house run within the fourth, Luis García singled house Yadiel Hernandez to make it 4-3. Bell, a pending free agent, completed 1 for 4, however Soto’s remaining line was becoming if it was his final sport as a Nationwide: 1 for 1 with three walks, two runs and that 421-foot blast.
“Going through a man like Max, he had nice at-bats,” Supervisor Dave Martinez stated. “Saved the ball within the zone, fouled off some good pitches, bought a ball to hit and hit it far.”
Is anybody used to seeing Scherzer pitch for the Mets? The Nationals and Mets have confronted off 11 occasions this season, however this was solely Washington’s second glimpse of Scherzer. The sight of their former ace taking part in for a division rival nonetheless doesn’t really feel regular to Martinez.
“It nonetheless is bizarre,” he stated earlier than the sport. “Whenever you see him, you type of reminisce in your head. However then I say: ‘Okay, we bought to go on the market and attempt to beat this man. Let’s determine how to try this.’ ”
How did Corbin fare? He threw 90 pitches and allowed 4 runs in 4⅓ innings. He was coming off his worst outing of the season — he didn’t make it out of the primary inning towards the Dodgers on Wednesday — however he was in a position to retire the aspect as a way to begin Monday’s sport.
However his subsequent two innings seemed rather a lot like what Nationals followers have change into accustomed over the previous two-plus seasons. Within the second, the Mets scored three runs on 5 hits and a stroll, with Soto’s help lastly stopping the bleeding.
Pete Alonso hit a 110.9-mph bullet off Corbin within the subsequent inning that simply cleared the wall in left-center for his twenty seventh house run. It took Corbin 24 pitches to get out of a scoreless fourth, and after he retired Francisco Lindor for the primary out of the fifth, his evening was full. His ERA rose barely to six.57, and his file fell to 4-15.
Lindor’s three-run homer off Steve Cishek within the sixth put the sport away.