WASHINGTON — Jeff McNeil fired his bat to the ground in disgust after hitting a grounder back to the pitcher in the second inning.
With that out, McNeil extended his career-longest hitless streak to 15 at-bats, but that would be the end of the drought: He blasted a Joe Ross fastball for a two-run homer in the fourth inning as part of a Mets outburst in which they took a 7-0 lead Monday.
“[McNeil] got the biggest hit of the game — that two-run homer to make it 4-0, extend that lead out so we can relax, put more pressure on their pitcher and then score more,” manager Mickey Callaway said after the Mets beat the Nationals 7-3.