WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Nimmo hit a grand slam and matched a franchise record with nine RBIs, helping the New York Mets pound Washington Nationals 19-5 on Monday.
Nimmo also hit a three-run drive in his seventh career multihomer game. The 32-year-old outfielder had four hits and scored four times after beginning the day with a .192 batting average.
New York earned a split of the four-game series. The Mets have won nine of 11 overall to improve to a major league-best 20-9.
Jeff McNeil and Mark Vientos also homered for New York, which finished with 21 hits. Vientos connected for a three-run drive against Washington infielder Amed Rosario in the ninth.
James Wood and Nathaniel Lowe homered for Washington in the eighth.
The Mets had a 3-0 lead when Colin Poche replaced Nationals starter Trevor Williams (1-3) with two on in the sixth. Nimmo greeted the left-hander by .
An inning later, the Mets had the bases loaded when Nimmo sent Cole Henry’s fastball into the right-field seats for
Nimmo added to tie the franchise record for RBIs set by Carlos Delgado in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on June 27, 2008.
McNeil, who made his season debut Friday after missing 25 games with a right oblique strain, for his first home run of the year.
Griffin Canning (4-1) pitched five innings of four-hit ball for New York. He has won four consecutive starts for the first time in his six-season career.
José Ureña earned his first save of the season. He allowed five runs in three innings in his Mets debut.
Williams yielded five runs in a season-high 5 1/3 innings.
Key moment
Nimmo’s sixth-inning shot broke open the game. It was his first homer since April 12.
Key stat
Nimmo was mired in a 7-for-47 (.149) slump with no extra-base hits in his previous 12 games before Monday.
Up next
New York left-hander David Peterson (1-1, 3.29 ERA) starts Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series against Arizona.
Lefty MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 3.34 ERA) starts Tuesday as Washington opens a three-game series at Philadelphia.
___
AP MLB:
