In an action-packed day of split-squad games, the Astros edged out the Mets 7-5 in their home matchup. Jonah Tong's outing in Port St.
Lucie started rocky, as Zach Cole's leadoff triple set the stage for a challenging second inning. A balk allowed Cole to score, and Nick Allen capitalized on two soft singles to drive in two more, quickly making it 3-0.
Tong found his rhythm thereafter, giving up only two more hits over his next two and a third innings. His final line: 4.1 innings, six hits, three earned runs, five strikeouts, and no walks-a testament to his resilience after a tough start.
The Mets showed life when AJ Solgado, stepping in for an injured Mike Tauchman, sparked a rally with a triple, scoring on Francisco Alvarez's single to get the Mets on the board.
The sixth inning saw the Mets mount a comeback. Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco singled, Brett Baty drew a walk, and Marcus Semien delivered with a bases-clearing double to left, pushing the Mets ahead 4-3. Solgado's single brought in Semien, extending the lead to 5-3.
Solid pitching performances from Ofreidy Gómez, Daniel Duarte, and Joe Jacques kept the Astros in check, but the eighth inning took a turn. Ryan Lambert struggled, hitting a batter, issuing a walk, and surrendering a three-run homer to Christian Walker, putting the Astros back on top 6-5. A subsequent walk and wild pitch led to Lambert's exit, and Aaron Rozek couldn't stop the bleeding, as James Nelson's single, aided by a Jorge Polanco error, sealed the Mets' fate at 7-5.
Meanwhile, in the away game, the Mets fell to the Nationals 3-1. Joander Suarez was impressive on the mound, tossing four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while fanning three.
Will Watson followed with three strong innings, yielding only two hits and striking out one. The scoreboard remained quiet until the eighth, when Mark Vientos launched a solo shot, giving the Mets a brief 1-0 lead.
However, the Nationals responded in the bottom of the inning, with Sam Brown and Kervin Pichardo hitting back-to-back doubles off Matt Turner to level the score. The game slipped away in the ninth when Dakota Hawkins gave up a two-run homer to Joey Wiemer, sealing the Nationals' 3-1 victory.