NEW YORK (AP) – Taijuan Walker pitched a three-hit ball over seven innings in his first win for the Mets, J.D. Davis hit a two-run homer in the first off a faltering Patrick Corbin, and New York beat Washington 4-0 Sunday to take two of three in the matchup of NL East rivals.
Corbin lost his 10th straight decision dating to last August.
Walker (1-1), who signed a $23 million, three-year contract as a free agent, made his fourth start.
“Give it up to the defense, man; they really helped me out today,” Walker said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. They came through for me. The offense putting up runs early was helpful, too. Let me attack and just go after hitters.”
Walker allowed a pair of leadoff runners but picked off Josh Harrison in the first and got help in the third when Victor Robles was throwing out trying to stretch a leadoff double to the right, with Michael Conforto throwing to second baseman Jonathan Villar. The latter made the toss to Davis at third for the tag.
“It was a tough read on Victor,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “The ball’s in front of him. For him, it’s just these young mistakes. Right there, you can’t make the first out at the third base.”
Albert Almora Jr. made a running, leaping catch at the center-field wall of a Kyle Schwarber drive to end the sixth and save two runs. “That was such a sexy catch,” said Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who homered into the black beyond the left-centerfield fence leading off the fifth. “I got so fired up..” Almora and Schwarber were teammates on the 2016 World Series-winning Chicago Cubs and spent their entire careers together until they were non-tendered by the Cubs last Dec. 2.played video games with Schwarber following Saturday’s game. “He’s going to have plenty more opportunities to hit homers and hit doubles. I’m sure he understands.” Schwarber couldn’t suppress a grin as Almora raced off the field, accepting congratulations from his new teammates. “I just couldn’t help and laugh there,” Schwarber said. “When I hit It, I thought it might have a chance. But as he kept running, I was like, ‘Oh man, it might have to get over his head.’ He made an excellent catch there.”
Walker struck out four and walked three.
Miguel Castro struck out Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Bell to escape a two-on jam in the eighth, and Edwin Díaz finished the five-hitter with a perfect ninth for the Mets’ second shutout of the series and third this season. Davis had three hits, raising his average to .414, and scored on James McCann’s RBI single in the fourth. Davis’ homer, which followed Alonso’s walk, gave him four homers in 27 at-bats against Corbin.
“He is an ace; he does deserve some respect, so I’m not going to come up here and say how easy it is,” Davis said. “It’s just one of those things in baseball where you just have a little more success against one individual pitcher. And Corbin would be that guy.” Corbin (0-3) allowed four runs, seven hits, and three walks in four-plus innings, lowering his ERA from 10.95 to 10.47. He is 0-10 in 11 starts since winning at Citi Field last Aug. 10.
