Stop the presses! James Wood hit a home run, just his second since July 9th in St. Louis. Not only that, but it was a direct express to the visitors’ bullpen in left field, which is his typical happy zone. Breaking open a fairly close series and home stand finale to give the good guys an emphatic win just makes it better. Can this help Wood get fully back on track? He struggled against the lefties he saw yesterday before turning around Ryne Stanek’s 100 mph fastball - the final boss might be getting these kinds of swings off against southpaw pitchers.

Francisco Lindor rather rudely opened yesterday afternoon’s proceedings by whacking MacKenzie Gore’s third pitch 390 feet for an immediate 1-0 Mets lead. Two innings later it was Starling Marte’s turn for a solo shot, and the Mets got one more in the fourth off of a sacrifice fly. But that was all for the Mets. Not two weeks ago this team, down 3-0 against a lefty in Sean Manaea, would have rolled over in the middle innings and let the game get out of hand.

But getting back Dylan Crews and getting rid of Nathaniel Lowe has noticeably changed the energy of this team, and they chipped away in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI groundout - courtesy of Crews. In the fifth, after Jackson Rutledge stranded a pair of inherited Gore walks, Brady House singled, Jacob Young bunted him over (but beat out the play anyway), and CJ Abrams was hit by a pitch after a Wood fly ball to load the bases with one out. Paul DeJong (swinging perhaps the hottest bat of his life over the past couple of weeks) brought House home with a sacrifice fly, and after Andrés Chaparro walked to load the bases again, the Mets brought in Tyler Rogers, only for Riley Adams to drive in Young and Abrams with a single that gave the Nats the lead.

The Nats got another run in the sixth but then broke the game open in the eighth to give their much-maligned bullpen - although FIVE Nats relievers (Rutledge, Clayton Beeter, PJ Poulin, Cole Henry, and Jose A. Ferrer) had retired eleven of twelve Mets in relief of Gore to that point - some breathing room. Adams singled, Crews worked a walk from an 0-2 hole, and two batters later, House singled Adams home and Crews to third. With two outs, Wood performed his heroics to put a nail in the coffin, and Ferrer retired three Mets around a Lindor single to earn the save (since he entered a 5-3 game) - including a strikeout of old friend Juan Soto for the final out. It was a notable win.

This weekend will almost feel like a minor league weeklong series, given that the Nats just played the Phillies last weekend. Can these wet-behind-the-ears kids play the division leaders as tough as they just did for four days when all of those experienced and dangerous hitters (one of these days we need to have a talk about Kyle Schwarber, who is going to have an absolutely fascinating Hall of Fame case if he keeps up this pace) get to see the Nats’ pitching staff again so soon? It will be an excellent test in particular for Cade Cavalli, who carved through the Phillies’ lineup for seven brilliant innings on Saturday.

Last night in Fredericksburg, this year’s number one draft pick, Elii Wilits, made his professional debut. In his first trip to the plate, Wilits drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. Later, in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and the bases empty, he punched a single through the left side of Fayetteville’s shifted infield. Showing his aggressiveness on the bases, Wilits attempted to stretch it into a double but was tagged out at second. The hit still went down as the first of his professional career.

Wilits wrapped up an impressive debut, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Not a bad way to kick off your career.

📌 Raleigh vs. Charlotte: The economic impact of an MLB team (Carolina Journal)

📌 Sources: Craig Kimbrel, Astros agree to major league deal (ESPN)

📌 MLB, ESPN have agreement for network to sell all out-of-market and some in-market games: Sources (The Athletic)