Mets can't capitalize on chances in loss to Nationals

You can say this about the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday night: They had their chances — again.

That is a familiar fate of late for the Mets (7-11), who will try to salvage a split of this four-game Citi Field series against Washington (6-7).

The Mets stranded seven runners on base, including five in the opening two innings. They were hitless in four at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Their last best chance came in the seventh, when they had two on and one out. Jeff McNeil made firm contact but hit a grounder right to second baseman Starlin Castro, who started an inning-ending double play.

Of the Mets’ 11 losses, seven have been by one or two runs.

“It’s been frustrating,” Rick Porcello said. “We’ve lost a lot of close games and games that — if we get a ball to drop here and there and make a pitch — we can win them. It’s one of those tough things because you’re not playing terrible baseball.”

Porcello (six innings, two runs) and Max Scherzer (six innings, one run) were about even in a grind-it-out battle of the 2016 Cy Young Award winners.

The Nationals struck immediately, when Trea Turner blasted Porcello’s second pitch to rightfield for a homer. They added another in the second, when Victor Robles’ bloop landed fair down the leftfield line for an RBI single.

In his second consecutive quality start — following two lackluster outings to begin his season — Porcello scattered eight hits, struck out five and walked none. His ERA is down to 5.68.

“The most important thing for me, especially early in the game, is slow everything down,” Porcello said. “Take deep breaths.”

Scherzer needed 60 pitches to get through the first two innings but settled in after that, allowing six hits and two walks and striking out seven. The Mets broke through in the fourth, when Andres Gimenez’s triple off the rightfield wall set up Luis Guillorme’s sacrifice fly.

“We weren’t able to get that big hit and start scoring early,” manager Luis Rojas said.

Rojas went with a defensively inclined lineup, and it worked to the Mets’ benefit. That included an up-the-middle trio of Gimenez at shortstop, Guillorme at second and Billy Hamilton in center. The infielders made a handful of standout plays — each.

When Castro popped up to medium-depth center, Guillorme reeled it in with an over-the-shoulder catch. After Robles singled to open the fifth — the fifth consecutive inning that Porcello allowed a hit to the leadoff guy — Guillorme and Gimenez turned a nifty double play to get the speedy Turner.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a double play turned that quick in the big leagues,” Porcello said.

Juan Soto slashed a low liner to deep shortstop in the sixth, but Gimenez’s diving backhand stop turned it into another out. Gimenez ran from shortstop to catch Eric Thames’ seventh-inning pop-up in foul territory, since third baseman J.D. Davis was shifted to the right side of the infield.

Guillorme started another Turner double play in the eighth. It was the first time in 496 career games that he hit into two twin killings.

“We always know who’s running,” Guillorme said. “Especially when you see Turner, everything’s gotta be perfect — you gotta be quick, the flip’s gotta be good, the throw’s gotta be good. I think we did that well today.”

Porcello said: “It gives you a lot of confidence to attack the zone, induce contact. You’re not worried about pitching for the swing-and-miss because these guys are gobbling everything up behind you.”

Rojas was impressed too.

“Definitely gets you thinking of more playing time for those guys,” he said. “That combination turned three double plays. Those are momentum-stoppers.”