WASHINGTON — The message the Mets have been trying to rally around might as well have come from Crash Davis himself: One game at a time.
They’ve now won three straight after opening a series against the Washington Nationals with an 8-1 win Tuesday night at Nationals Park. All of the ground lost in the NL East and Wild Card races amid a dismal 2-14 stretch can’t be made up right away, but stringing together solid wins like the last three represent a step in the right direction.
Left-hander David Peterson threw eight innings, carrying a shutout into the eighth inning before allowing an earned run. Benefitting from a five-run top-third, Peterson (8-5) limited the Nats to one run on four hits, walking one and striking out 10.
It was a stellar performance, and the type the Mets have rarely seen since their rotation was decimated in June. Despite double-digit strikeouts, Peterson’s performance wasn’t flashy or overly dominating. Instead, it was efficient and methodical. Peterson used his sinker to induce ground-balls, and a changeup below the zone got whiffs.
Exactly what the Mets needed.
It was the first start of six or more innings since Aug. 8 for a Mets starter. The staff workhorse, the last time the Mets got a starter through seven full innings was July 10. Surprise, surprise, it was Peterson.
It came on the heels of his worst outing of the season. Peterson made five straight starts with six more or more innings before last week when he gave up six earned runs to the Atlanta Braves, failing to make it through the fourth inning. While not immune to blowups, Peterson has been remarkably consistent, possibly the closest thing to a slump-proof starter the Mets have.
He got into one jam, with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth. In the eighth, he gave up a leadoff triple to Dylan Crews, who scored on a double play. Jacob Young then struck out to end the inning.
With the lineup no longer cold, the Mets hung six runs on right-hander Jake Irvin (8-7) over six innings, scoring five times in the third inning. Mark Vientos, Juan Soto, Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil each homered in the game, with McNeil going 3-for-4 with a two-run double, his 10th home run of the season and two runs scored. He came a triple away from the cycle and extended his hitting streak to six games.
McNeil hasn’t exactly carried the offense over the last month, but he’s better than most, just as Peterson has pitched better than most. Finally, they’re getting some much-needed production around them. The Nats might be dead last in the NL East at 50-75, but if the Mets (66-58) are going to make up the aforementioned ground in the division, they have to capitalize against teams like Washington.
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