Rendon and Soto help Nationals maintain lead but fall 7-6 in ninth inning; recap: 8/9/19

The Washington Nationals fell to the New York Mets 7-6 in the final inning. Although Strasburg had pitched fairly well in seven innings (four hits, three runs, two walks, and six strikeouts) and Daniel Hudson provided excellent scoreless relief in the eighth, Sean Doolittle did not provide the necessary support to maintain the lead and the save. Doolittle, unfortunately, gave up a three-run home run to Todd Frazier and a walkoff single to Michael Conforto to give the Mets the last-minute win.

In the fourth inning, Anthony Rendon hit an RBI triple to score Adam Eaton, and Juan Soto hit a two-run home run afterwards. In the seventh, Rendon hit a two-run home run, and in the ninth, Trea Turner scored on a wild pitch by Luis Avilan. Offensively, the Nationals fared well to grab the early lead, but this game will now be another reminder about the importance of strong relief pitching even in the ninth inning.

Tomorrow, Patrick Corbin is set to duel Noah Syndergaard for the second game of this crucial series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.