Kieboom, Nats rally again, score 2 in 9th to edge Mets 4-3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Carter Kieboom and Andrew Stevenson hit RBI singles in the ninth inning off Edwin Díaz and the Washington Nationals rallied once again, edging the New York Mets 4-3 Monday in the finale of a five-game series.

The Nationals, who had lost eight of their last nine, were 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position prior to the ninth.

Pete Alonso hit his 30th home run of the season for New York, which fell four games behind idle Atlanta in the NL East.

A series marked by rallies was decided by one final comeback.

Staked to a 3-2 lead, Díaz walked two of the first three hitters he faced before Stevenson singled to right. Kieboom then chopped a three-hopper up the middle against a drawn-in infield to score the winning run.

“As soon as I saw it get past the pitcher, I knew it was getting it through at that point,” said Kieboom, who delivered his first career game-ending hit.

It was the second blown save in four days for Díaz (5-5), who is 1-3 with a 12.71 ERA in 10 games as a Met at Nationals Park.

“Today I didn’t command my pitches the way I wanted to,” Díaz said. “I couldn’t command my slider low in the zone and I got hit.”

Diaz wasted a two-run lead in the ninth inning in the series opener Friday night before the Mets recovered to win. New York squandered a nine-run lead in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader before winning, and bounced back from blowing a four-run margin Sunday for another victory.

“Singles are going to happen and you are going to miss a spot, but the walks were the things we saw in both outings that hurt,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said of Díaz.

Kyle Finnegan (5-6) pitched two scoreless innings for Washington, which won twice in the series.

Alonso hit Nationals starter Patrick Corbin’s...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Kieboom-Nats-rally-again-score-2-in-9th-to-edge-16438882.php