Mickey Callaway didn’t mince words before the Mets went for their third straight win over the Nationals on Wednesday at Citi Field:
“We’ve got to win some games. We have to approach this like it’s the playoffs.’’
It took a while, but his team finally responded in a 6-1 win.
After being shut down by Max Scherzer for six innings, the Mets got to Washington’s woeful bullpen in a six-run eighth, sparked by a three-run double by Juan Lagares and a three-run homer by Rajai Davis in his first at-bat as a Met.
The victory helped the Mets put more distance between themselves and the five-game losing streak that included being swept by the lowly Marlins in Miami, putting Callaway’s job in jeopardy.
“Nobody wants to have a road trip like we had,’’ Jacob deGrom said of the team’s winning streak. “To come here and win the first three [of the homestand] is big.”
For a second straight night, they added some drama.
With the Mets trailing by a run in the eighth, Adeiny Hechavarria — in for an injured Robinson Cano — doubled to left-center with one out against Kyle Barraclough.
Todd Frazier drew a two-out walk before Barraclough was replaced by Sean Doolittle, who hit Carlos Gomez to load the bases.
Lagares then delivered a bases-clearing double to left-center to give the Mets their first lead of the night. The center fielder is now 3-for-5 against Doolittle.
Following an intentional walk to Wilson Ramos, Davis — pinch hitting for Drew Gagnon — homered to left to make it 6-1 after arriving in an Uber from Lehigh Valley, where he had been preparing to play a game for Triple-A Syracuse before his contract was selected to replace Brandon Nimmo (stiff neck).
“I tried to make an impact right away and I was fortunate to get an opportunity,’’ Davis said.
“He’s the man,’’ Callaway said.
In the process, the Mets took advantage of a strong start by deGrom, who allowed just a solo homer to Adam Eaton in the first inning.
He gave up two hits in six innings, going head-to-head with Max Scherzer, who tossed six shutout innings.
The Mets lost Cano in the process, when the second baseman suffered a tight left quad while he was hustling on a grounder to short that ended the third.
DeGrom’s bounce-back performance from his season-worst outing against the Marlins also came with Tomas Nido behind the plate. He retired 11 straight following Eaton’s home run before Matt Adams started the fifth with a single.
After Wednesday’s outing, deGrom has a 0.67 ERA in 27 innings with Nido catching, compared to a 5.53 ERA in 31 innings pitching to Wilson Ramos, and Callaway indicated before the game the pairing may continue.
Still, deGrom had to shake off a rough beginning.
After giving up just 10 homers in 217 innings a year ago, deGrom allowed his eighth in just over 52 innings when Eaton took him deep with one out in the first.
The Mets left two runners on in both the first and fourth innings, squandering chances against Scherzer.
But they forced the right-hander to throw 25 pitches in the first inning and 103 through six, which allowed the Mets to get into Washington’s vulnerable relief corps.
“There for a while, I was down,’’ deGrom said. “These guys battled back and won a game for me.”
Robert Gsellman, Drew Gagnon and Tyler Bashlor all tossed scoreless innings to keep it a one-run game, setting up the late comeback.
And it gave the Mets a winning streak that would have seemed very unlikely earlier in the week.
“It happened and it’s over with,’’ deGrom said of the sweep in Miami. “Everybody stayed positive and it’s showed the last three games.”