SEE IT: Gomes' walk-off preserves another stellar start by Erick Fedde originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, Yan Gomes delivered the lone and decisive run to open the Nationals' crucial four-game home series against the New York Mets.
Gomes stepped to the plate in the ninth with New York's closer Edwin Diaz reeling. As the third batter of the frame, Diaz had yet to record an out going against the catcher. He walked Juan Soto, then a Ryan Zimmerman single moved Soto over to third.
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An even 2-2 count saw Diaz try to rip a 99 mph fastball high and inside past Gomes, but a quick smack of the bat and the game was over. Gomes sent the ball down the left-field line allowing Soto to score and give the Nationals a 1-0 win.
It capped a night that, again, saw Washington struggle with runners on base.
However, it preserved yet another strong start by Erick Fedde. The 28-year-old, right-hander pitched seven innings, allowing only two hits, four walks, no earned runs and striking out six. It marks the third start in a row that Fedde yielded no runs, doing so in a rather efficient manner.
His ERA drops to 3.33 on the season with a 1.15 WHIP on the season. Both are top-25 marks in the National League among qualified starters.
Doing so was much-needed for a Nationals club that is currently without ace Max Scherzer and No. 2 pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
All of a sudden, the Nationals have put together a legitimate winning streak at a crucial part of the season. The win makes it five straight for the Nats and six of their last seven.
Washington trailed division-leading New York by seven games in the NL East entering this series. It is a great chance for the club to make in-roads on the division heading into the heat of the summer.
