NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10 - The Washington Nationals lost to their division rivals, the Mets, in walk-off fashion on Tuesday night. Another excellent MacKenzie Gore start and a solid offensive effort went to waste due to frustrating defense and a poor bullpen performance.

Gore took the bump and was dominant once again, as he has been all season. While he allowed a single to open the game, Gore bounced back with three straight outs, including sitting a familiar face in Juan Soto down with three sliders. Brandon Nimmo scored in the second inning after stealing a base and being driven in. This was the first run Gore had allowed since May 23rd against the Giants. It would not be his last of the night, however, as Soto took him deep to left-center field, giving Gore a look as he rounded third. That would be the extent of what Gore allowed, as he finished 6.0 innings, allowing the two runs on five hits, with six strikeouts, and no walks. His season ERA is now 2.88, and with his 114 punch-outs, he still leads MLB in the “K” category.

Brad Lord entered in the bottom of the seventh, trying to hold a two-run lead. He did just that, going 1-2-3, getting the ball to Jose A. Ferrer for the eighth. Ferrer got two outs immediately, striking out Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Lindor. However, he then walked Starling Marte, opening the door for Soto to hit a ball at Robert Hassell III, which was fielded in a way that reminded many fans of Trent Grisham’s infamous misplay in the 2019 Wild Card game. For those who do not know what that means, the ball got by him, allowing Marte to score. Kyle Finnegan then replaced Ferrer, looking for a four-out save. Instead, Pete Alonso singled to tie the game at four. Finnegan got through the ninth cleanly, and was replaced by Cole Henry for the bottom of the tenth. The inning started and ended with a Jeff McNeil double, and the Mets walked it off as Luisangel Acuña crossed home plate, handing the Nats a 5-4 loss.

Offensively, the Nationals had a solid game as a team, while CJ Abrams was particularly dominant. The lefty opened the night with a double before a Nathaniel Lowe homer two batters later, giving the Nats a lead before even playing the field. In the second, Alex Call was driven in by Abrams as he hit his second double in as many innings. The shortstop wasn’t done there, however, as he blasted a home run to left-center in the fifth for his third extra base hit of the night. That was all of the Nats’ scoring, as they finished with eight hits, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. While tonight was a step forward, it will be vital before the All-Star break to get these strikeout numbers down consistently.

The Nats will look to bounce back in Queens tomorrow, as they send Jake Irvin to face off against David Peterson. They will also have a game on Thursday before coming home to face the Marlins and Rockies for a seven-game homestand.