Mets 4, Nationals 0

(9-8, 1 game ahead of Philadelphia)

Here’s why this is an important week for the Mets.

They have Monday and Thursday off, with two games against the Red Sox in between. After that, they have a 10-game stretch without a day off.

I have to think that, unlike other seasons where that might be a somewhat daunting stretch, these guys are excited about getting into a rhythm…hopefully with more favorable weather than they’ve been seeing.

Because you kind of get a sense that things are coming together for this team.

Sunday featured:

-a strong start for Taijuan Walker

-home runs for J.D. Davis and Pete Alonso

-good defense

That last item is no small thing - not only were there a couple of spectacular defensive plays by the Sunday starters who were in there primarily for defense (a running and [maybe not necessary] leaping catch by Albert Almora, Junior, and a strong relay by Jonathan Villar to nail Victor Robles trying to stretch a double into a triple), but J.D. Davis made the routine plays at third base that Taijuan Walker needed him to make to support his outing.

The more games the Mets play, the more it looks like they’re meshing.

It’ll be great to see what happens at the end of this week as they launch into that stretch where they’ll be playing uninterrupted ball.

Notes: I didn’t write Saturday, obviously. Some days I just don’t feel like it. But you kind of got the sense where that game was headed on the first batter of the game when the ball bounced past Michael Conforto for a single and two-base error. On the other hand, the Mets lineup feels like it can start clicking at any moment and even a 6-run deficit isn’t that big a deal…I guess I’ll have to get comfortable with the radio for the next couple of nights. I do not have NESN (that’s the Red Sox’ station - the equivalent of SNY in Boston), and the app blacks out the Red Sox locally, so Mets-Red Sox will only be available to me on audio.

How I Watched: Listened on the radio a bit and watched a bit on SNY. The booth was Keith and Gary Sunday afternoon, but at one point they showed Ron Darling with his young son sitting and watching the game in the stands. That was nice to see.

What Else I Watched: Just scoreboard watching, really. Haven’t sat down and watched another game in a bit. I’ll probably check out Padres-Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball tonight.

Notes From Around The League: Hyun-Jin Ryu left his start early on Sunday with an injury. I hope he’s not too hurt…Kind of an eventful Sunday, all told: Madison Bumgarner threw 7 no-hit innings in the second game of a doubleheader between the Diamondbacks and Atlanta. It doesn’t count as a no-hitter and it’s kind of a weird in-between stat right now. But it capped a scoreless doubleheader for Atlanta. They might be in trouble…And the Orioles beat the A’s, ending Oakland’s 13-game winning streak. Long winning streaks are fun for me.