PORT ST LUCIE, FL - The Washington Nationals dropped a tough one this afternoon to their division rival, the New York Mets, after a thrilling comeback. Jake Irvin took the bump for Washington, and despite having been elite to start the spring, ran into some nasty trouble early. The offense, specifically Luis Garcia Jr., Alex Call, Andrew Pinckney, Daylen Lile, and Nasim Nuñez bailed him out of it after some time. However, a costly run in the eighth cost the Nats the game after all of that drama.

Despite the pitching staff surrendering seven runs today, they actually did a great job. A look at the box reveals that the group only allowed one earned run. Irvin threw 38 pitches in the first and allowed six runners to cross the plate even though the only one he was responsible for came from Mark Vientos’ two-run homer. Francisco Lindor had reached base off an error from Nathaniel Lowe. Because of this error, the inning was still alive and eventually, former Nats prospect Jakson Reetz hit a grand slam off Irvin to make it a 6-0 ballgame.

Dave Martinez pulled Irvin from the game and Marquis Grissom Jr. got him out of it. However, Irvin came back out since spring training rules allow for that. He went on to pitch 3.1 innings total, and that was the extent of the damage for the majority of the afternoon. Brad Lord and Orlando Ribalta each pitched 2.0 innings to finish the game. However, with the game tied in the bottom of the eighth, Ribalta surrendered the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly, which ultimately lost the game.

The lineup had virtually no momentum for the first six innings. Clay Holmes struck out eight of the 15 batters he faced through 3.2 innings, and the Nats only got on the board in the top of the seventh, when Genesis Cabrera surrendered hits to Garcia Jr. and Call. He hit Lile with a pitch after Pinckney reached on an error before Nuñez tied the game. While that one inning was explosive and off of an MLB arm, it didn’t happen until very late in the ballgame which is not sustainable in the regular season.

On the topic of lineup performance, notable names like Lowe and CJ Abrams struggled immensely today. Abrams was 0-3 with two strikeouts while Lowe was also 0-3, but struck out all three times. Each recorded a walk, but the plate discipline was not there today. James Wood had an average day to cap off a great week, going 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Ultimately, today was not the best day for the Nationals this spring as their record dropped to 8-7 following some lackluster play. The lineup can not be waiting to score that late in ballgames, and they have to be more disciplined at the dish. The pitching staff, all things considered, did okay. However, even if most of the runs were unearned, they still need to limit the damage more than they did today.

Up next:

The Nationals will play a split-squad tomorrow, with both games against the Miami Marlins. One game will be at 1:10 in Jupiter while the other will be at 6:05 in West Palm. Neither game will be broadcast live on TV but both can be heard on 106.7 The Fan. Tuesday will be an off-day before a 1:05 Tuesday home bout with Houston.