WASHINGTON — Josh Bell homered and drove in two runs, rookie reliever Cole Henry escaped a bases-loaded jam, and the Washington Nationals held off a late rally to defeat the New York Mets 5-4 on August 20, 2025, at Nationals Park, snapping the Mets’ three-game winning streak before 19,565 fans.
The Washington Nationals built an early lead against Mets starter Kodai Senga, who fell to 7-5 after allowing five runs — four earned — on six hits over five-plus innings, striking out four and walking two. Senga’s ERA stands at 2.58 for the season, but he has struggled recently, posting a 6.00 ERA over his last six starts with 18 earned runs in 27 innings.
Washington Nationals starter Brad Lord earned the win, improving to 4-6 with a 3.46 ERA, after pitching five innings and allowing four hits, four runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. Lord kept the Mets scoreless through four innings but faltered in the sixth, loading the bases before Henry entered to preserve the lead.
The Washington Nationals scored first in the third inning. Dylan Crews walked, Robert Hassell III singled, and James Wood walked to load the bases with one out. CJ Abrams singled to first base, scoring Crews for a 1-0 lead. Bell followed with a sacrifice fly to center, plating Hassell III to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, Paul DeJong singled and scored on Crews’ double to left field, pushing the Washington Nationals ahead 3-0. Drew Millas then tripled to right, scoring Crews for a 4-0 advantage.
The Mets responded in the fifth when Brett Baty homered to right-center, his 15th of the season, a 455-foot shot that cut the deficit to 4-1. Bell answered in the bottom half with his 16th homer, a 420-foot line drive to right-center off Senga, extending the Washington Nationals’ lead to 5-1.
New York mounted a comeback in the sixth. Francisco Lindor singled and Juan Soto walked. After Starling Marte singled to load the bases, Pete Alonso doubled to right, scoring Lindor and advancing Soto to third. Jeff McNeil then doubled to left, scoring Soto and Alonso to narrow the gap to 5-4.
Henry, entering with one out, navigated a throwing error by DeJong that allowed Mark Vientos to reach, but induced a popup from Cedric Mullins and a groundout from Luis Torrens to strand the bases loaded. Henry has not allowed a run in his past four appearances, holding a 1.42 ERA in August.
The Washington Nationals bullpen shut down the Mets the rest of the way. Shinnosuke Ogasawara pitched a perfect seventh, retiring Lindor, Soto, and Marte on 10 pitches. Clayton Beeter handled a 1-2-3 eighth, and Jose A. Ferrer earned his third save with a scoreless ninth.
“They were just nails the whole time,” Lord said of the bullpen. “Coming in, getting quick outs and set us up to keep rolling with momentum.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza noted the missed opportunity: “We had the bases loaded there down one, and they got Mullins with one out. Then Luis hits a ball really hard at the second baseman. But then after that, the lefties came in and kept us off balance. We didn’t create any traffic, and they shut us down after that.”
Washington Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo, ejected in the sixth by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor, praised Henry: “He’s been outstanding. He’s been pitching good against righties, lefties. He was squeezed a little bit, but he came out and made some pitches and got out of the inning. That was big for us.”
On Ogasawara, Cairo said: “He’s on a mission. I love the passion, the energy. That’s what you’re looking for when you put someone on the mound.”
Cairo also commented on Beeter: “We’re going to do matchups. He throws hard, he’s got a good fastball, he’s got a good breaking pitch. I thought that was the best moment to bring him in in that position.”
Ogasawara, via interpreter Kyoshi Tada, said: “This is a new experience for [me], so I’m just trying to work on it and enjoy it as much as I can.”
Crews, recently activated from the 60-day injured list on July 29 after a rehab assignment, contributed with a double and two runs scored. “It was awesome to see them go out there and do what they needed to do,” Crews said of the bullpen. “They held their composure in tough situations and had some resilience going out there, too.”
Lord added: “I appreciate every single thing they do. Those guys are kind of under-appreciated, I guess. They fly under the radar. But they’re a huge part of everything that we do.”
The Mets fell to 67-60, remaining in second place in the National League East, while the Washington Nationals improved to 52-75, still fifth in the division. The loss ended New York’s push in the wild-card race, where they trail the leaders.
Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo exited in the second inning with a stiff neck, adding to concerns for the team.
The Washington Nationals acquired Beeter at the trade deadline from the Yankees in exchange for Amed Rosario. Ogasawara, signed as a starter in the offseason, has excelled in relief, holding left-handed hitters to 1-for-11 in his past six appearances.
Crews, the Washington Nationals’ top prospect and a 2023 first-round draft pick from LSU, has brought energy since returning from injury. Batting .202 with four doubles and 18 RBIs, he has shown swagger in the outfield.
The series concludes August 21 with Sean Manaea (1-1, 4.78 ERA) facing MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.04 ERA).
