WASHINGTON — David Peterson pounded the strike zone and was efficient with his pitches Tuesday, bringing him to within one out of the Holy Grail for Mets starting pitchers this season.
Only four times in 60 games had a Mets starter lasted at least seven innings. Peterson retired CJ Abrams for the second out in the seventh, but with two runners on base and right-handed batter Lane Thomas due up for the Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza brought the hook.
Peterson departed, Dedniel Nunez got the final out and, for a change, the Mets avoided a late-inning bullpen crash, in a 6-3 victory at Nationals Park.
Peterson, in his second start off the injured list, was the impetus.
The left-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 6 ²/₃ innings, departing after 81 pitches.
The Mets (26-35) won their second straight and will have a shot on Wednesday at their first three-game sweep since April 15-17 against the Pirates.
Among the keys for Peterson on this night was getting ahead in the count: he threw a first-pitch strike to 10 of the first 13 batters he faced.
Harrison Bader’s two-run homer against DJ Herz in the fourth accounted for the game’s first scoring.
Starling Marte walked leading off the inning before Bader cleared the left-field fence with one out for his third homer of the season.
The Mets broke out in the fifth, when Marte’s two-run triple extended the lead to 4-0.
Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo singled in succession to begin the inning before Marte sent a shot along the first-base line that hugged the side wall and allowed Marte to race all the way to third for his second triple in five games.
Mark Vientos’ ensuing sacrifice fly gave the Mets a 5-0 lead.
Peterson didn’t allow his second hit until the fifth on Jesse Winker’s leadoff single. Jacob Young delivered a two-out RBI single that pulled the Nationals within 5-1.
Vientos lunged to the foul line to stop Nick Senzel’s grounder in the sixth and threw from his knees to nail Senzel at first base.
Peterson, who had walked Joey Meneses ahead of Senzel, escaped the inning by retiring Ildemaro Vargas.
The Nationals got a bounce to slice the Mets’ lead to 5-2 in the seventh.
Joey Gallo’s grounder hit first base and the ball popped into shallow right field for an RBI single. Winker was hit by a pitch to start the inning and stole second — a play on which he was picked off first but Peterson threw low to Alonso.
Alonso launched a 446-foot homer to left in the ninth for the Mets’ final run. Alonso’s blast was the 14th of his career at Nationals Park. It was also Alonso’s 14th homer of the season.
Young’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth against Reed Garrett cut the Mets’ margin to 6-3.
The Nationals brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Garrett retired Thomas to end it.