Mets Stink Again in 14-2 Loss to Nats

David Peterson was ineffective and wild and Sean Manaea was arguably worse. A day after the Mets scored seven runs in the fourth inning, the Nationals pulled the same trick en route to a 14-2 victory Wednesday at Citi Field.

Peterson, making his first start since April 13 after being demoted to the bullpen, gave up three hard singles to his first four batters. The Nationals led 1-0 and had runners on the corners. Jacob Young hit a sharp grounder at first baseman Brett Baty, who didn’t field it cleanly, which cost him a chance to throw home. Baty settled for the out at first and the Nats led 2-0.

A Juan Soto solo home run cut the lead in half in the third inning, but Peterson (0-4) lost his control in the fourth.

He walked Young with one out. After a single and an infield single made it 3-1, he walked No. 8 hitter Nasim Nuñez, who entered the night hitting .195, on five pitches, to load the bases. He struck out Keibert Ruiz for the second out, but after getting ahead in the count 0-2, he missed four straight times to walk James Wood. That forced in a run and forced Carlos Mendoza out of the dugout.

Sean Manaea hit the first man he faced with a 73 mph sweeper to force in another run. Then Brady House unloaded on an 89 mph fastball for a 385-foot grand slam that gave the Nationals a 9-1 lead. Manaea allowed a double before escaping the inning, but not the boos from a crowd that suffered through poor pitching, sporadic rain and the Mets’ fourth loss in five games.

The Phillies (10-19) were rained out, meaning the Mets (10-20) have sole possession of the worst record in baseball.

Manaea’s final line: six earned runs on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings. His ERA ballooned to 6.55 over 22 innings.

Nationals starter Cade Cavalli (1-1) entered the game with the widest lefty/righty splits in the majors. Lefties were hitting .397 against the right-hander and righties were at .146.

The first inning went according to form. Three lefties reached base (Soto doubled, MJ Melendez and Baty walked) and three right-handed hitters did not. Bo Bichette flew out, Francisco Alvarez struck out and Tyrone Taylor swung through a 96 mph sinker on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Melendez drove in a run with an RBI infield single. Taylor and Marcus Semien each had two hits.

Stat of the Game

Peterson’s ERA jumped to 6.53. He gave up seven earned runs on five hits, walked three and struck out five. Since appearing in the 2025 All-Star Game, Peterson is 3-6 with a 6.40 ERA over 19 outings and 90 innings pitched.

Player of the Game

Soto homered to the opposite-field for the second straight night. He also doubled and went 3-for-5. He is 7-for-24 with two homers, six walks and two strikeouts in seven games since returning from the injured list.

On Deck

Will the rubber game of the series include another seven-run fourth inning? Freddy Peralta (1-3, 3.90 ERA) will look for his first win since Opening Day against 37-year-old RHP Miles Mikolas, (0-3, 8.49 ERA) who is looking for his first win in a Nats uniform. Game time is 1:10 p.m. ET and it will air on SNY.

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