Juan Soto hits two homers

Juan Soto hit two home runs on Wednesday night, but the New York Mets still lost 8-4 to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. The game paired Soto’s strongest individual showing of the series with another setback for a Mets club that fell to 21-28, according to Sportsnet. Washington built its lead early and held it even as Soto accounted for most of New York’s late push. ### How much of the Mets’ offense came from Soto? Soto supplied two of the Mets’ four runs with a pair of solo home runs and finished 2-for-4, according to Sportsnet and game coverage aggregated by Rotoballer. The performance gave him another multi-hit night in a stretch that has become one of the few steady offensive trends in New York’s lineup. (sportsnet.ca) FantasyPros said Soto has now hit safely in six straight games. Entering Thursday, he carried a.901 OPS with seven home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored and four stolen bases through 33 games. ### How did Washington still win by four runs? (sportsnet.ca) CJ Abrams put Washington in front with a three-run homer in the first inning, Sportsnet reported. Keibert Ruiz and Jacob Young also drove in runs as the Nationals kept pressure on New York across the first several innings and added separation late. (fantasypros.com) Washington’s 8-4 win brought the club back to.500 at 25-25, according to coverage carried by Yahoo Sports and BVM Sports. New York, by contrast, dropped its second straight game in the series. ### Why does this game stand out for Soto right now? (sportsnet.ca) Soto’s two-homer game came while the Mets’ broader season remained uneven. FantasyPros described him as carrying the offense during a six-game hit streak, and FanDuel Research listed him with a.299 batting average,.392 on-base percentage and.559 slugging percentage entering Thursday’s game. (sports.yahoo.com) Sports Illustrated’s Mets coverage has framed Soto as a leading figure within the club’s younger core this season. That assessment is separate from Wednesday’s result, but the box score fit the pattern: Soto produced, and the team around him did not do enough to change the outcome. (fantasypros.com) ### Was this part of a bigger rough patch for New York? The Nationals had already beaten the Mets 9-6 on Tuesday, when Soto also homered, according to RotoWire and CBS Sports fantasy coverage. That means Soto has gone deep in consecutive games against Washington even as the Mets have lost both. (sportsnet.ca) The standings context is straightforward. Sportsnet reported the Mets fell to 21-28 with Wednesday’s loss, a mark that leaves little margin for error as Memorial Day approaches. ### What comes next in the series? Thursday’s finale is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (rotowire.com) ET at Nationals Park, according to FanDuel Research and USA Today’s SportsbookWire. FanDuel listed Soto at +440 to hit a home run as of Thursday morning. (sportsnet.ca) FantasyPros’ schedule page listed Cade Cavalli as Washington’s probable starter for Thursday, with the Mets set to continue the road trip after the series ends. (fantasypros.com) (fanduel.com)