Nationals 8, Mets 4: Abrams' Three-Run Homer Lifts Washington Back to .500

The lead

May 20, 2026 - Washington, D.C. - The Washington Nationals returned to .500 at 25-25 with an 8-4 win over the New York Mets at Nationals Park, as CJ Abrams's three-run first-inning homer and Jacob Young's two-run shot in the eighth outweighed Juan Soto's two long balls for the Mets, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

Soto's pair marked his 29th career multi-homer game and extended a hot stretch to five homers in seven games overall, AP noted—but Washington's early jump against debuting right-hander Zach Thornton (0-1) held up.

How the game turned

After Curtis Mead singled and Andrés Chaparro walked, Abrams ripped a cutter over the wall in right-center for his 10th homer and a 3-0 lead. Keibert Ruiz added an RBI single in the second to beat a drawn-in infield.

Zack Littell (3-4) allowed two runs over five innings, rebounding from an 0-4 start with Washington to 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA in his last four appearances, AP framed. Soto's solo shot in the third cut the gap to 4-2 before Young's eighth-inning blast.

Andrew Alvarez worked four innings for his first career save—the Nationals' first four-inning save since relocating from Montreal in 2005, matching a franchise mark last set by Anthony Telford in 1999 for the Expos.

Pitching and matchup notes

Thornton allowed four runs in 4⅓ innings in his major league debut. Alvarez yielded Soto's two-run homer in the eighth but kept every other runner out of scoring position.

AthX Engine graded Abrams at 10 hitting FP and Alvarez at 13 pitching FP, with Washington at 15 team FP. Soto still posted 13 hitting FP on the loss side.

Bats that changed the board

Washington pounced on a rookie starter; New York's power could not climb out of the early hole despite Soto's fireworks against his former club—12 homers and 26 RBI in 35 career games vs Washington, per AP.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Loss-side sluggers can still dominate hitting FP when they homer twice—AthX Engine captured Soto's 13 alongside Washington's team total, a split traders should remember when reading dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The four-game set ends Thursday with Cade Cavalli against David Peterson per AP's probables.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, MLB gameday wrap, CBS Sports recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*