CJ Abrams, once again, downs the Mets

After a contentious rain delay suspended last night’s game in the third inning, the Mets lost 3-2 to the Nationals in the resumption this afternoon at Nationals Park.

The scoring began yesterday afternoon when the Mets allowed yet another first-inning run, this time on a Joey Meneses RBI single to right field off Mets’ starter Joey Lucchesi. The Mets aimed to tie the score in the top of the third after a one-out double from catcher Michael Pérez (who finished with four hits in his first game of the season) sent the tying run in Daniel Vogelbach to third base. The umpires then decided to stop the game due to heavy rain, and after a few hours of fruitless field maintenance, it was decided the game would resume today.

Brandon Nimmo wasted no time once the game resumed, sending the first pitch he saw from new Nationals pitcher Erasmo Ramírez to deep right field to send Vogelbach home and tie the game. The Mets threatened again in the fourth by loading the bases with one out, but a strikeout from Vogelbach and a flyout from Luis Guillorme left three more runners on base. It would turn out to be the best opportunity for the Mets this game.

CJ Abrams broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with a hard RBI single to right field, driving in Jeimer Candelario and giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead. With the score tied 2-2 after a Jeff McNeil sacrifice in the top of the seventh, Abrams struck again with a solo home run to center field off Dominic Leone in the bottom of the inning. It was the second home run for Abrams this season, both off the Mets, and the second time this game Abrams gave the Nationals the lead, this time for good.

With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Pérez launched his fourth hit of the game, this time to the gap in left-center field. A nice play off the carom kept Pérez at first base, which might have prevented the Mets from tying the game on Nimmo’s subsequent single to left field. But with the go-ahead run on first base, McNeil’s blast to left-center was tracked down at the warning track to end the threat and the game.

The Mets and Nationals will play a full game later today with a 4:35 ET scheduled first pitch. Max Scherzer in his return from injury is scheduled to start against Jake Irvin.

SB Nation game threads

Amazin’ Avenue

Federal Baseball

Box scores

ESPN

MLB

Win Probability Added

(live feed borked after yesterday’s debacle, no graph, and the following is the author’s estimation)

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Michael Pérez, +30% WPA

Big Mets loser: Dominic Leone, -70% WPA

Mets pitchers: -120% WPA

Mets hitters: -50% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Michael Pérez double, +50% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: CJ Abrams dinger, -1000% WPA