Nats can't hold lead, lose completion of suspended game

The Nationals are going to have a say in the outcome of the National League East race this season. Not because they're likely to climb back into contention after trading away eight veterans for 12 prospects two weeks ago. But because the final two months of this season will see them face the three teams still angling for what could be an ugly division title a bunch, and the outcome of those games is going to have a real impact on how everyone finishes in the standings.

Just in the last week-plus, the Nats helped the Phillies take over first place in the NL East during a four-game sweep in D.C. Then they helped the Braves move into second place with two losses in three days in Atlanta.

Now, with three games in 24 hours at Citi Field, the Nationals have a chance either to let the Mets right their wayward ship or help sink it for good.

This afternoon, in the resumption of a game that was suspended by rain Tuesday night, the Nats gave the Mets hope again. Despite a lineup that twice gave themselves a three-run lead, the Nationals' reconfigured pitching staff gave those leads right back and ultimately suffered an 8-7 loss in a disappointing start to a pseudo-doubleheader in Flushing.

The two clubs will be right back at it shortly for tonight's originally scheduled game, now condensed to seven innings.

The Nationals gave themselves every opportunity to take the opener, but a bullpen that features all kinds of new and inexperienced names could not hold a late lead. Gabe Klobosits allowed one run in the seventh on Brandon Nimmo's single and Pete Alonso's RBI double off the center field wall. Mason Thompson then gave up the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth on a J.D. Davis double, a wild throwing error on a routine sacrifice bunt attempt and Brandon Drury's bloop RBI single over a drawn-in infield.

So it was that a Mets club that hadn't held a lead in a week finally put itself in position to close out a win and avoid falling to .500 for the first time since early May.

When last they were seen on the field Tuesday night, the Nationals held a 3-1 lead in the top of the second, with Riley Adams having just delivered a leadoff single off Mets starter Carlos Carrasco. That meant the Nationals' starter, Paolo Espino, was due up. And even though Espino was going to give way to Joe Ross on the mound, manager Davey Martinez decided to let him bat for himself so Ross could focus on warming up for his outing.

Espino promptly put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Adams into scoring position, and when Victor Robles followed with a high drive to the wall in left field that Dominic Smith couldn't handle, Adams scored to extend the lead to 4-1.

Ross, though, couldn't maintain that lead for long. He labored through the bottom of the third, allowing four hits that ultimately produced three runs and turned that 4-1 lead into a 4-4 tie.

No worries, because the Nationals responded with their own three-run rally in the fifth off 41-year-old lefty Rich Hill, this one coming courtesy of the bottom of the order in encouraging fashion. After Yadiel Hernandez drew his third walk of the game, Carter Kieboom sent a 2-2 slider up the middle for a single, then Luis García took full advantage of the green light he got on a 3-0 count and ripped a two-run double to the gap in right-center. Add an RBI single from Adams off reliever Jeurys Familia, and the Nats suddenly held a 7-4 lead.

Ross did manage to hold that version of the lead, though not before giving up one more run. He departed at the end of the sixth, having surrendered four runs in five innings of "relief" on 82 pitches, enough to have given his team a chance to win but not enough for the right-hander to consider this a good outing.