The New York Mets squad that Christian Scott rejoins Wednesday evening is far different from the team he left at the end of May.
The 25-year-old right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start Wednesday for the Mets, who will look to lock up a series win when they visit the Washington Nationals in the third game of a four-game series.
Scott (0-2, 3.90 ERA) is slated to oppose another rookie, left-hander Mitchell Parker (5-4, 3.32).
The Mets moved back over .500 with their second straight extra-inning victory Tuesday, when Pete Alonso’s two-run homer capped a five-run 10th inning in a 7-2 win.
The triumphs over the Nationals have provided a glimpse at the resiliency the Mets have displayed since Scott’s last start on May 30. New York beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 that day to begin a stretch in which it has gone 20-8 — the best mark in the majors during that span.
The Mets, who overcame a 2-0 deficit in a 9-7, 10-inning win on Monday, again spotted the Nationals a 2-0 lead on Tuesday before surging back thanks to a pair of unexpected contributors.
Brandon Nimmo, who sat out Monday’s game after fainting in his hotel room, replaced Harrison Bader after the latter crashed into the center-field wall in the third inning Tuesday. Nimmo went 2-for-3 with the game-tying RBI single in the eighth and a run-scoring double in the 10th.
Jose Iglesias, who was recalled from Syracuse on May 31, is batting .388 after going 1-for-4. His hit was a go-ahead double leading off the 10th inning.
“It’s been a special month — on and off the field,” said Iglesias, who performed his song “OMG” on the field following the Mets’ 7-2 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night. “I’m just very happy to be part of it and contribute to another win today.”
The loss compounded the frustrations for Washington, which has lost three in a row and seven of eight. The Nationals have dropped three extra-inning games during that stretch.
The Nationals stranded the potential winning run at third base in the ninth inning on Monday, when they scored four runs in the 10th before Luis Garcia Jr., the potential winning run, struck out to end the game.
On Tuesday, Jacob Young struck out with Garcia at first to end the ninth before the Nationals went down in order in the 10th to fall to 2-6 in extra innings this season, including 1-3 at home.
“We need to start winning games in regulation is what we need to do,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We’ve got to start hitting a little better. You can’t score two runs, three runs, and expect to win against a team you know is notorious for scoring a bunch of runs.”
Scott gave up two runs in five innings during a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on May 30 before he was optioned to the minors because the Mets had a spate of off days coming up. He went 0-0 with a 2.12 ERA in four subsequent starts for Syracuse.
Parker took the loss in his most recent start, when he allowed two runs over five innings as the visiting Nationals fell 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Neither pitcher has opposed his Wednesday opponent before.
–Field Level Media
