Nats rally late to take series with 4-3 win (Yunel Escobar injured)

Yunel Escobar left the game in the middle of his first at-bat to start the second inning. Escobar dropped to his knees, clutching his left hand or wrist after attempting to check his swing on a 96 mph heater from Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. It was unclear if the ball actually hit Escobar, though the Nationals' Twitter account reported that Syndergaard's pitch struck Escobar's hand.

Nationals manager Matt Williams and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz tended to Escobar immediately. After taking a few practice swings, Escobar decided to resume the at-bat. Syndergaard hung a curveball and Escobar yanked it foul into the seats. As soon as he made contact, though, Escobar intstantly dropped his bat in pain and walked directly to the Nationals clubhouse.

Dan Uggla replaced Escobar in the at-bat and was called out on strikes on the next pitch. Escobar is charged with the strikeout.

Danny Espinosa moved from to third base, and Uggla entered the game at second.

Escobar's .321 batting average is second-best on the Nationals and fourth-highest in the National League.

The Nationals do not provide in-game injury updates.

Update: Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy opened the fourth with consecutive singles. However, it looked like Jordan Zimmermann might get out of the jam after striking out Lucas Duda and getting Wilmer Flores to fly out. But, Kirk Nieuwenhuis drove a two-out, two-run double to the gap in left-center field.

Kevin Plawecki followed with an RBI single to give New York a 3-0 lead.

The Nationals answered in the bottom of the frame on a two-out single from Michael A. Taylor, scoring Ian Desmond.

Update II: Zimmermann allowed three runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts over seven innings. The right-hander threw 102 pitches.

The Nationals are 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base.

Update III: Taylor delivered a clutch two-out two-run single, scoring Ian Desmond and Matt den Dekker to tie the game in the eighth. Espinosa then sliced a double down the left field line, plating Taylor for the go-ahead run.

Closer Drew Storen is on the mound in the ninth.

Update IV: Storen struck out the side in the ninth for his 29th save.

The Nationals beat the Mets 4-3 to win the series and extend their lead to three games in the National League East.