Field Level Media
Aug 10, 2020
Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice, doubled twice and drove in five runs on Monday night as the Washington Nationals rapped out 17 hits in a 16-4 pounding of the host New York Mets.
Juan Soto and Trea Turner socked two-run homers for Washington, which dropped three straight games and was losing 5-2 to Baltimore on Sunday when rain forced the game to be suspended in the top of the sixth inning.
This was a 180-degree turn for the Nationals, who reached double figures in runs for the first time in their 12 games. Benefitting from the support was Patrick Corbin (2-0), who sailed through six stress-free innings, allowing five hits and two runs, one earned. He walked two and fanned four.
Steven Matz (0-3) dropped his third consecutive start and saw his ERA soar to 8.20 in a dreadful outing. He was rocked for eight hits and eight runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking none and whiffing five.
Cabrera started the onslaught with a two-out solo shot to left-center in the second after Matz had retired the first five hitters. Turner and Soto blasted their homers an inning later, Soto's clout traveling an estimated 463 feet and sailing over the Mets' "Big Apple" sign beyond the center field wall.
Soto's ground-rule RBI double initiated a seven-run assault in the fifth that also featured a two-run double from Cabrera. Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes and Turner also delivered RBI singles, and Josh Harrison had a sacrifice fly.
Cabrera capped the explosion with a two-run homer in the seventh off lefty reliever Chasen Shreve, making Cabrera 8-for-10 with five extra-base hits against left-handers this year.
Jeff McNeil went 3-for-4 with a double and a run for New York, and Brandon Nimmo cracked his second homer of the year to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto each knocked in runs. Infielder Luis Guillorme provided another highlight for the Mets by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
--Field Level Media