Nats take opener from Mets 4-1, reduce magic number to 18

NEW YORK - While fellow prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez leapfrogged him on the organizational depth chart and got the first opportunities to pitch for the Nationals this summer, A.J. Cole hung around and waited for his turn.

Who would have guessed "Option C" would prove more reliable at this point?

Cole turned in another impressive performance tonight, holding the Mets to one run and three hits over six innings, putting himself in position to earn his first career win. The Nationals bullpen made sure that would happen, finishing off a 4-1 victory that moved Washington one step closer to a division title.

For weeks, it has been premature to mention the Nationals' magic number. But with the calendar now reading September and the number now starting with a "1" it's OK to go there. With this win, the magic number is down to 18.

The Nationals reduced that number by a pair thanks to the performances of several rookies who have come up big for them in a pennant race. Cole provided the quality start, outdueling Noah Syndergaard. Trea Turner provided the offensive spark, recording another multi-hit and multi-steal game. And Koda Glover, given a chance to pitch out of a big jam, retired Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes in order with his team clinging to a one-run lead.

A couple of late insurance runs provided by Anthony Rendon expanded the lead to three runs, and gave Mark Melancon plenty of leeway while recording his 38th save overall (eighth in eight tries since his acquisition).

In taking the opener of this series, the Nationals extended their lead over the Mets to a season-high 10 1/2 games in the National League East, with 28 to play.

For the fourth time in as many games on this road trip, the Nationals gave their starter a lead before he ever took the mound. On this night, Cole could thank Turner for single-handedly doing it.

Turner led off the game with a single on an 0-2 pitch from Syndergaard, then promptly stole both second and third bases (the latter without a throw). Bryce Harper's subsequent fly ball to shallow center field might not have been deep enough for most runners to tag up, but Turner didn't hesitate to race home with the game's first run.

The Nationals exploited Syndergaard's slow delivery to the plate all night, swiping four bases off the big right-hander in the first four innings alone. Like Turner, Harper took third without a throw, and that put the slugger in position to score on Wilson Ramos' two-out RBI single up the middle in the top of fourth, giving the Nats a 2-0 lead.

Cole took over from there. He cruised through his first three innings, retiring eight in a row at one point before showing signs of teetering in a harrowing bottom of the fourth. Cabrera opened the frame with a solo homer to right-center; Cole then put two more men on base, leaving himself in his first jam of the night.

But the rookie responded in impressive fashion, getting Curtis Granderson to pop out and then striking out Kelly Johnson on a 3-2 slider to end the threat.

Cole added two more scoreless innings after that, navigating his way through the heart of the Mets lineup for the third time and getting the game to a refreshed Nationals bullpen to close out.