WASHINGTON — Wilson Ramos hit a first-inning grand slam after Washington failed to complete what should have been a routine double play, Noah Syndergaard took a no-hitter into the sixth and the Mets beat the Nationals, 6-2, on Tuesday.
The Mets have won three games in a row. The Nationals lost for the 11th time in 15 games, fell to 2-12 in series openers and are 16-25 overall. In the National League, only the rebuilding Miami Marlins have a worse record.
Syndergaard (3-3) allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings, lowering his E.R.A. to 4.74. The first hit he allowed was a single by Wilmer Difo to open the sixth, and Victor Robles followed with a homer off a 98 m.p.h. fastball.
It was Robles’s seventh homer of the season — and third off Syndergaard.
Other than that two-batter hiccup, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Syndergaard was dominant on a cold night, repeatedly reaching 99 m.p.h. on his 102-pitch evening and striking out six.
Ramos, who used to play for the Nationals, connected with a low 80 m.p.h. offering from Jeremy Hellickson (2-2) and sent it out to left for his second homer.
He never should have been at the plate in that spot: With a man on first and one out, Robinson Cano hit a grounder that appeared to get Hellickson out of the inning. But backup shortstop Difo’s relay throw was off the mark and forced fourth-string first baseman Gerardo Parra to stretch to try to make the grab. Parra managed to get his glove on the ball but couldn’t hold on.
Cano initially was called out, but that was overturned after a review. “We made them pay for a little mishap there,” Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said, “and that’s what you have to do when you’re a good team.”
Pete Alonso followed with a single past Difo, and Michael Conforto walked to load the bases, bringing Ramos to the plate.
“That first inning bit us. It really did,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “Like I’ve said before, we’ve got to play clean baseball. We really do. Got to give us a chance.”
Dominic Smith, pinch-hitting for Syndergaard in the ninth, hit his first homer of the year.
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