WASHINGTON -- The Nationals bullpen threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings to fend off the Mets in a 5-4 win on Wednesday at Nationals Park.
Starting right-hander Brad Lord kept the Mets off the board for 4 2/3 innings, but the third time around the order gave him trouble in the sixth. Cole Henry, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Clayton Beeter and Jose A. Ferrer stepped up to secure Lord’s fourth win of the season (4-6, 3.46 ERA) and snap a five-game losing streak against the Mets.
“They were just nails the whole time,” said Lord. “Coming in, getting quick outs and set us up to keep rolling with momentum.”
Looking to maintain the Nats’ one-run lead after New York’s three-run outburst, Henry relieved Lord with one out and a runner on second base. Following a throwing error by Paul DeJong and a walk, Henry escaped a full-count, bases-loaded jam by getting Cedric Mullins to fly out and Luis Torrens to ground out.
"We had the bases loaded there down one, and they got Mullins with one out,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “Then Luis hits a ball really hard at the second baseman. But then after that, the lefties came in and kept us off balance. We didn't create any traffic, and they shut us down after that."
Henry has not allowed a run in his past four appearances. He has a 1.42 ERA in August.
“He’s been outstanding,” said interim manager Miguel Cairo. “He’s been pitching good against righties, lefties. He was squeezed a little bit, but he came out and made some pitches and got out of the inning. That was big for us.”
Cairo was ejected during that frame, and bench coach Henry Blanco took over from there.
The Nats tabbed the left-hander Ogasawara to face the top of the Mets’ order in the seventh. Ogasawara needed only 10 pitches to retire Francisco Lindor (pop out), Juan Soto (groundout) and Starling Marte (strikeout) in order.
“He’s on a mission,” said Cairo. “I love the passion, the energy. That’s what you’re looking for when you put someone on the mound.”
The Nationals signed Ogasawara this past offseason as a starter. But over his past six relief appearances, he has held lefties 1-for-11. On Sunday, Ogasawara rendered Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper 0-for-2.
“This is a new experience for [me], so I’m just trying to work on it and enjoy it as much as I can,” Ogasawara said via interpreter Kyoshi Tada.
The righty Beeter, who entered the game with a 9.31 ERA, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning against Pete Alonso (flyout), Jeff McNeil (groundout) and Mark Vientos (groundout). The Nats acquired Beeter at the Trade Deadline from the Yankees in the Amed Rosario deal, and they are exploring the best scenarios for him to pitch.
“We’re going to do matchups,” Cairo said. “He throws hard, he’s got a good fastball, he’s got a good breaking pitch. I thought that was the best moment to bring him in in that position.”
Ferrer earned his third save of the season and second in consecutive appearances.
“It was awesome to see them go out there and do what they needed to do,” said Dylan Crews. “They held their composure in tough situations and had some resilience going out there, too. It was an inning that got away right there, but they came back strong and were able to put up some zeroes. That’s all you can ask for from them.”
The road to victory was particularly meaningful to the rookie Lord. A starter for his career, he earned a spot on the Opening Day roster as a reliever, and he has pitched in both roles this season.
“I appreciate every single thing they do,” said Lord. “Those guys are kind of under-appreciated, I guess. They fly under the radar. But they’re a huge part of everything that we do.”