After sitting for nearly seven innings, Michael Conforto wasn’t in the waiting mood when he went to the plate as a pinch-hitter Saturday night.
Mason Thompson, just summoned to pitch for the Nationals, elevated a sinker that Conforto crushed over the fence in left-center, bringing a rare jolt of energy to Citi Field during these numb days.
Conforto’s three-run blast let the Mets snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Nationals. The homer was Conforto’s ninth of the season and just his second at home since the All-Star break.
“That’s the hit we have been waiting for,” said Conforto, who pumped his fist as he rounded the bases. “That’s the one we, unfortunately, haven’t gotten the last week or so, but I can tell you in those spots we believe in our guys. We believe we are going to come through. It just hasn’t happened in the last couple of weeks.”
The Mets (62-67) had scored five runs in their previous four games combined, so this display might as well have been a 10-run outburst. It came hours after the franchise honored former pitcher Jerry Koosman by retiring his No. 36 during a pregame ceremony.
With the Mets behind 3-2, Jeff McNeil singled leading off the seventh against Ryne Harper and Kevin Pillar (who had already homered twice) was drilled by a pitch. After Patrick Mazeika popped out on a bunt attempt, the right-hander Thompson entered to face Conforto, who was absent from the starting lineup against lefty Sean Nolin. The pinch-hit homer was the first of Conforto’s career.
“It’s no secret [left-center] is where I go when I am feeling the best,” Conforto said. “It’s kind of what I came up doing. That one felt a little extra special just because it was over there in that little basket in front of the wall. I have been working to try to do that all year, but sometimes it takes a little longer.”
Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz protected the lead with a scoreless inning apiece. Diaz earned his 26th save in 30 chances.
The victory allowed the Mets to regain the game in the standings they had lost to the Braves the previous night. Even so, the Mets’ deficit is 7 ½ games in the NL East, the product of a 7-19 August in which their lineup has sputtered.
The Nationals had taken a 3-2 lead on Trevor May in the seventh, with Riley Adams scoring on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single. May hadn’t allowed a run in his previous five appearances.
Pillar’s second homer of the night tied it 2-2 in the fifth against Nolin. It was the second multi-homer game of the season for Pillar, who started in right field to get an extra right-handed bat in the lineup against Nolin. Pillar also homered leading off the third.
“I have been working hard on my swing and feel like I have been swinging at good pitches over the last couple of weeks,” Pillar said. “I just haven’t been getting some good results and sometimes you have got to throttle down a little bit and just try to find the good part of the bat, and I got rewarded today. I got a little smaller and compact and was able to hit two homers today.”
The Mets were active on the bases in their attempt to create runs. Jonathan Villar was nailed trying to steal second to end the third inning, and Francisco Lindor successfully swiped second in the next frame but was left stranded by Pete Alonso and Javier Baez. Lindor also stole second in the sixth and was left stranded.
Marcus Stroman provided the Mets with a second straight six-inning performance in which he surrendered two runs. The right-hander was removed at 91 pitches, with seven hits and one walk allowed. Stroman has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his past five starts, a stretch in which has increased barely, from 2.80 to 2.85.
Stroman allowed two runs in the second after walking Luis Garcia to begin the inning. Lane Thomas’ RBI double gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead before Alcides Escobar’s single — following Mazeika’s passed ball — added another run.
Stroman loaded the bases in the first following Thomas’ leadoff double, but escaped by striking out Yadiel Hernandez and retiring Carter Kieboom.
“It was a great overall team win,” Conforto said. “Hopefully we can make it the start of something special.”
