While the spotlight and laurels belonged to David Peterson on Wednesday night — and deservedly so — his complete-game shutout against the division-rival Nationals wouldn’t have been possible without a comfortable lead.
So, one of the few Mets teammates Peterson can thank for his gem is Brandon Nimmo. He provided the needed cushion.
The summer wind came blowing into Citi Field, but the ball was fortunately blowing out for Nimmo. The veteran outfielder delivered a pair of homers in the Mets’ 5-0 win, and it was the first time that he smacked two long balls in one game since doing so against the same Nationals, back in late April. That day, he tied the Mets’ club record with nine RBI.
Nimmo’s first dinger of the night came in the fifth inning, as he took a changeup from Nationals starter Jake Irvin deep to left-center to push the Mets’ lead to 4-0. Then, in the seventh, he crushed a solo shot to right field off reliever Jackson Rutledge to make the score 5-0.
Peterson only needed one run — the first came on an upper-body strength RBI double from Pete Alonso — but the insurance was welcomed and appreciated. Nimmo finished 2-for-3 with a walk and raised his average to .236.
“It’s crazy how this field just flips a switch, but I’ll take it,” Nimmo said when asked about the humid weather. “I’ll take every single one of [the homers]. The funny part is, the ball I hit the hardest was an out. So, that’s the irony of baseball. But it’s fun. I’ll take it. I’m so glad I was able to help contribute tonight.”
The warmer temperatures are playing to Nimmo’s advantage. He’s slashing .310/.385/.569 with four homers and nine RBI over his last 15 games (58 at-bats), and the month of June has produced the second-most long balls and second-highest OPS of his career. Signs of good things to come.
“Sometimes you’re just going to go through some bad luck, and you should just stay the course,” Nimmo said. “A lot of the stuff we go by now is expected numbers. If all of that stuff is pointing to having success, then we kind of lean on that to play out over the course of seven months. You have to understand you go through different seasons, and the weather’s going to heat and cool down.”
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