Dusty Baker didn’t want to chance it. Nationals reliever Sammy Solis entered Monday’s game against the New York Mets in the ninth inning and pitched successfully to get two outs.
But Solis, making his second appearance since missing 65 games with elbow inflammation, also allowed one man on base. With two outs, Baker elected to have Matt Albers face Mets pinch hitter Curtis Granderson in a righty-lefty matchup. Granderson was batting .258 against lefties like Solis compared to .226 against right handers like Albers.
The move backfired.
Albers let up a two-run homer in the ninth inning when Granderson was down to his last strike, but the Nationals’ bullpen can once again thank the offense.
Left fielder Ryan Raburn’s walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Nationals a 3-2 win over the Mets. It was the sixth walk-off win of the season.
Raburn, a late substitution into the game, hit a ball to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes. The play was under review as it appeared the ball might have been caught by Cespedes, but it first went under him.
“I was hollering at (the ball),” Raburn said. “In my mind, I was yelling at that thing. Like I said, fortunately it was able to come down and give us a win. Blessed.”
Baker said it was a “a great game” until Granderson came in and hit the home run, which he admitted deflated his team.
“We had to get moving and figure out how to win the game,” Baker said. “Once we did, it was a big walk to (Matt) Wieters, another big walk to (Stephen) Drew.”
The Nationals’ offense saved the bullpen and backed a solid Stephen Strasburg performance.
The expectation for Strasburg to go out and pitch on an All-Star level isn’t unreasonable by any means. The Nationals pitcher has made a career of delivering quality performances and has been named to an All-Star team three times, most recently on Sunday.
But there will be nights where Strasburg gets into an uncharacteristic jam. And in those situations where he isn’t his best, he can still remind people of why he was deserving of being named an All-Star.
Strasburg escaped a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning. The Mets loaded the bases on three walks in the inning, including two back-to-back and with two outs.
But Strasburg had the patience to work through it with a nine-pitch duel against Mets catcher Travis D’Arnaud, who tested the Nationals pitcher by fouling off three consecutive pitches. It was finally Strasburg’s fastball, however, that got the job done — a 96.9 mile per hour heater that landed in the lower corner of the strike zone causing D’Arnaud to whiff in the process.
“It happens,” Strasburg said. “I can’t really say what was going on. I just wasn’t throwing strikes. You can’t really let that snowball. You’ve just got to throw the ball, whatever next pitch. I kept telling myself and luckily I made the pitch when it mattered.”
In all, Strasburg finished the night with only allowing two hits on 105 pitches in seven innings. It was a performance worthy of an All-Star.
On Monday, the Nationals held a press conference for four of Washington’s five All-Stars to discuss being named to the National League All-Star team. Strasburg was absent because starters don’t talk to the media before the game.
Max Scherzer, though, hit on a key point on why the Nationals’ starting pitching has been so successful this year, and Strasburg’s performance against the Mets was another example of why.
“As a starting staff, we take pride in going deep into the ballgame and providing your team with zeroes,” Scherzer said. “So when (the offense) goes up there and have some momentum, they know they when they score runs they’re going to win a game.”
The Nationals’ offense, though, couldn’t connect until later in the game.
In the eighth, Taylor sent a sinker from Mets pitcher Jerry Blevins to right centerfield to break the tie and make it 2-0.
Before the bottom of the inning, left fielder Brian Goodwin threw out Brandon Nimmo at the plate to prevent the Mets from scoring in the eighth.
The Nationals have had to rely on numerous reserves stepping into bigger roles this season. Taylor replaced Adam Eaton in the lineup after tearing his ACL. Goodwin replaced Werth once he went on the DL. And Raburn came to provide the timely hit the Nationals needed.
Against the Mets, the players who weren’t seen as contributing in big moments came through when it mattered.
The Nationals now return against the Mets on Tuesday and have their annual Fourth of July game at 11 a.m.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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