NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Ross tossed six solid innings and helped himself with an RBI single as the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 7-1 on Saturday.
Yadiel Hernandez, a 33-year-old rookie who entered with six hits in 36 career at-bats, had two hits and two RBIs for the Nationals. Six starters had an RBI and seven players got a hit for Washington, which finished with 10 singles and no extra-base hits.
Michael Conforto homered in the fourth for the Mets.
Ross (2-1) allowed five hits and one walk while striking out four. The Mets threatened after Conforto’s two-out homer, but after giving up infield singles to J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil, Ross came back from a 3-1 count to get James McCann to line out.
The Nationals, blanked on two hits Friday night by Mets ace Jacob deGrom, built four mini-rallies in four innings against Marcus Stroman (3-1). Josh Harrison led off the first with a single to right and raced to third when the ball skipped by Conforto for an error. Harrison scored on Hernandez’s sacrifice fly.
Stroman issued a pair of one-out walks in the second before Ross delivered his two-out RBI hit. Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro had two-out hits during a four-hit third inning and Hernandez delivered another two-out RBI single in the fourth.
Stephen Tarpley made his Mets debut in the fifth but didn’t get an out. Washington loaded the bases on two walks and a single before Alex Avila was hit by a pitch. Andrew Stevenson followed with a run-scoring forceout against Robert Gsellman.
