18-32: Washington Nationals get walloped, drop 13-5 series opener to New York Mets in Citi Field…

Erick Fedde didn’t last long, and there was a lot of damage done while he was on the mound…

Fedde vs NYM:

Erick Fedde tossed five strong innings against the New York Mets in his 2022 debut, but in the first month of the season, the 29-year-old right-hander struggled overall, putting up a 6.00 ERA, a 4.53 FIP, eight walks, 19 Ks, and a .282/.346/.451 line against in four starts and 18 IP.

After throwing six scoreless against the Los Angeles Dodgers last time out before tonight, the 2014 1st Round pick had a 1.95 ERA, a 3.93 FIP, 14 walks, 23 Ks, and .208/.304/.327 line against in five starts and 27 ²⁄₃ IP in the month of May.

Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez talked after Fedde’s outing against LA about how much growth he’s seen in the starter during their time together in the nation’s capital.

“We talked a lot about him earlier, and about how much he’s maturing,” Martinez explained, “how much his routine has changed, and you see the results from that. He’s been working with [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey diligently in his bullpens, just working on pitches, the shape of his pitches, the changeup, his cutter, all that stuff, and he goes out there and he competes, and I think now he’s got a little bit of confidence behind him which is really nice.”

Fedde took the mound with a 3-0 lead in the series opener with the New York Mets tonight, but gave one right back, with the first three batters (Luis Guillorme, Starling Marte, and the No. 3 hitter, Francisco Lindor) all singling to start the bottom of the inning with the third hit an RBI grounder through the right side, 3-1. Fedde got a 4-6-3 DP out of Jeff McNeil for the first two outs of the frame, and a fly to left ended a long, 32-pitch inning.

Mark Cahna singled, Nick Plummer doubled on a line drive to center Victor Robles misread, and then, after Robles made a diving play on a Tomás Nido line drive in the next at-bat, Luis Guilorme hit an RBI single to left, and Starling Marte followed with a two-run home run that went 396 feet to left field, 6-3, and a single by Francisco Lindor left the Mets’ top 3 hitters 6 for 6 in two innings. That was it for Fedde…

Erick Fedde’s Line: 1.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR, 52 P, 35 S, 1/1 GO/FO.

Peterson vs D.C.:

Lefty David Peterson, 26, made three appearances, two starts, for the Mets earlier this year, but he was optioned out, then he came back to start in a doubleheader in early May, earning his first win of 2022, and a week back, before he took on the Washington Nationals tonight in Flushing, Queen’s New York’s Citi Field, the Mets’ 2017 1st round pick held San Francisco Giants’ hitters to two runs on three hits over six innings of work to earn a second consecutive win. He finished the outing with a 2.16 ERA, a 3.62 FIP, nine walks, 22 Ks, and a .184/.265/.322 line against in 25 innings over five games (four starts).

Peterson gave up three runs in the first inning tonight, and threw 30 pitches total, with a one-out single by Keibert Ruiz, walk by Juan Soto, a hit-by-pitch on Nelson Cruz, two-run single by Josh Bell, and a sac fly by Lane Thomas putting the visitors up 3-0 a half-inning into the series opener.

It was 3-2 Nationals after one, 6-3 Mets after two, and 9-3 after three, and Peterson, who gave up three in the first, held the visiting ballclub there through four, which he finished with just 59 pitches on his arm, and he came back out for the fifth with a 12-3 lead…

In the fifth, however, Peterson gave up a leadoff single by César Hernández and a walk to Keibert Ruiz, and two outs later, an RBI single by Josh Bell, and walk to Lane Thomas, and that was it for the Mets’ starter, 12-4 NY.

David Peterson’s Line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 88 P, 44 S, 7/2 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Andres Machado took over with one out and one on in the second, after Erick Fedde gave up six runs on eight hits and left a runner on the bases, and stranded the runner, but then he came back out for the third and gave up a one-out walk, and a two-out single and free pass which loaded the bases in front of Starlin Marte, who lined a two-run single to left to make it 8-3 NY, and 9-3 on an RBI single by Francisco Lindor.

Austin Voth gave up back-to-back, one-out singles (by Eduardo Escobar and Mark Cahna), and a three-run home run to left (by Nick Plummer) on a first-pitch fastball that traveled a total of 383 feet, 12-3.

Paolo Espino took over with the Mets up 12-4 in the fifth, and managed to complete the first scoreless frame of the game for the Nationals.

Alcides Escobar tripled to right-center on a 1-1 sinker from Mets’ reliever Colin Holderman with one out in the sixth, and he scored on César Hernández’s third hit of the night, an RBI single, 12-5.

Pete Alonso hit a solo homer off Josh Rogers to lead off the eighth, 13-5. Alonso’s 13th.

Nationals now [gasp] 18-32