The New York Mets dropped another heartbreaker on Sunday, falling 5–4 to the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. With this loss, the Mets have now lost 17 of their last 20 games—a brutal stretch that has fans and players alike searching for answers.
Freddy Peralta started strong, striking out the side after walking James Wood to lead off the game. But trouble struck in the second inning. Jorbit Vivas singled with one out, and Nasim Nuñez hit a chopper toward the mound. Peralta rushed the throw to first, airmailing it past Mark Vientos. Vivas raced home, and Nuñez ended up at third. Jacob Young followed with an RBI single, putting the Nationals up 2–0.
Washington added another run in the third when Luis García Jr. doubled and C.J. Abrams singled him home, stretching the lead to 3–0. The Mets’ bats were quiet early against Miles Mikolas, a struggling right-hander who has had a tough season. Juan Soto nearly brought the crowd to its feet with a solo home run in the first, but Wood made a leaping grab at the right-field wall to rob him.
Everything changed in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Bo Bichette walked and Soto singled. Then MJ Melendez stepped up and crushed a game-tying three-run homer, sending Citi Field into a frenzy.
Peralta settled in after that, retiring the Nationals in order in the fourth and fifth innings. He ran into trouble in the sixth, walking José Tena and Vivas back-to-back, but buckled down after a mound visit and got Nuñez to pop out with his hardest pitches of the afternoon.
The Mets took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with some small ball. Soto walked to lead off, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on a single by Francisco Lindor, making it 4–3.
But the Nationals answered in the seventh. A leadoff double by Wood and a single by García Jr. tied the game. Abrams then delivered a sacrifice fly to put Washington ahead 5–4. The Mets couldn’t muster a comeback in the final two innings, dropping another winnable game.
For Mets fans, this is a tough stretch to watch. The team has talent, but the results aren’t matching the potential. Whether it’s a roster shakeup or a change in approach, something needs to shift—and fast. For now, the only thing certain is that the Mets will look to turn things around on the road.