WASHINGTON (AP) — As Mickey Callaway’s first season as manager of the New York Mets winds to an end Authentic Kerryon Johnson Jersey , he’s receiving more chances to see the club’s young pitchers in key spots out of the bullpen.He had to be pleased with how they fared late in a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.Jose Lobaton hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly against his former team in the 12th inning, while Jacob Rhame (1-2) worked two scoreless innings after entering the night with a 7.00 ERA.“He threw the ball over the plate,” Callaway said. “He threw the ball down when he needed to. He elevated when he needed to and he mixed in his off-speed pitches in quality locations. All these young guys did a great job tonight. They have great stuff, and when they can throw the ball over the plate and control the count, they’re going to be successful.”Rhame wasn’t the only Mets rookie to thrive Thursday. Left-hander Daniel Zamora outlasted Washington outfielder Bryce Harper, eventually cajoling a long flyout in the eighth inning to retire the only batter he faced. Tyler Bashlor pitched a perfect ninth to send the game to extra innings.Lobaton, who spent the previous four years in Washington before signing with the Mets in December, lofted a one-out fly ball off Jefry Rodriguez (3-3) with the bases loaded to score Amed Rosario in the 12th. Paul Sewald earned his second save.Harper was ejected in the 12th for arguing home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn’s called third strike.“He was walking away,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “I don’t know what he said. I haven’t talked to him. But he was walking away. Should be done deal, whatever. When the umpire threw him out I was really surprised.”Washington starter Max Scherzer pitched seven innings, allowing three runs while striking out 13. He has 290 strikeouts this year, the most for a National since the franchise relocated from Montreal before the 2005 season. Scherzer set the previous mark of 284 in 2016.However, he never held a lead Thursday. Michael Conforto smashed a two-run homer to left in the third, his 27th of the season. It was also his fourth home run in 23 career at-bats against Scherzer.Four pitches later, Jay Bruce crushed his ninth home run of the season. It was the sixth time this season New York has hit back-to-back homers.“It’s frustrating because I thought I was sharp,” Scherzer said. “I was also a little mechanically off just a touch. My fastball was running away from me. Every time I tried to go glove side with it early part of the game it was traveling to the other side of the plate. I got away with it a couple times. I think there in the third they made me pay for it when I didn’t locate it the way I can.”Washington’s Trea Turner led off the sixth with an infield single. Two batters later, Anthony Rendon golfed Jason Vargas‘ changeup to deep left for his 100th career home run to narrow the deficit to 3-2. Vargas allowed two runs and struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings.Jeff McNeil led off the eighth with a triple and scored two batters later when Bruce punched a single to right past a drawn-in infield. But the Nationals responded with Rendon’s run-scoring groundout and Juan Soto’s RBI double off Robert Gsellman in the bottom half of the inning.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: INF Wilmer Flores will miss the rest of the season after receiving injections in both knees to alleviate the pain of early onset arthritis. “It was probably a month and a half ago when I started feeling it Authentic Deshaun Watson Jersey ,” Flores said. “I was battling out there. I’m not going to make excuses because I was playing and giving my 100 percent. At this point, I’m not out there every day and the season is almost over. I felt like I needed to take care of this right away.”CALLAWAY TOSSEDCallaway was ejected in the 10th inning for arguing after Reyburn ruled McNeil had offered on a bunt attempt. “I thought it was kind of two in a row and it put our hitter in a huge situation down 0-2,” Callaway said. “I lost it.”SOD STATE OF AFFAIRSWashington 2B Adrian Sanchez and New York OF Dominic Smith both left divots in the outfield while making plays early in the game.“Honestly, in 1986, when the Mets clinched, the only time I’ve ever seen the field with chunks missing like that was the next day when fans ripped everything out,” Martinez said.UP NEXTMets: RHP Jacob deGrom (8-9, 1.78 ERA), who is 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA lifetime at Nationals Park, gets the nod for New York as the four-game series continues.Nationals: RHP Joe Ross (0-0, 3.60) makes his second start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. The New York Yankees still haven’t announced who will start the American League wild-card game against the Oakland A’s next Wednesday.But Thursday, before a 12-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays reduced their magic number for clinching home field for the game to one, the Yankees did announce their rotation for the weekend regular-season finale in Boston.It sure looks like J.A. Happ will be the wild-card starter.Article continues below ...The left-hander, 6-0 with a 2.18 ERA in nine starts with New York, opens the Fenway Park series against Rick Porcello. Lance Lynn goes Saturday and Luis Severino on Sunday.That would leave Happ on his regular rest for the wild card, but Severino will have just two days’ rest.Happ has pitched well in his career against Boston, leading to speculation that Happ would be saved for the Red Sox. But manager Aaron Boone said the focus is on Oakland http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey , regardless of where the game is played.“No,” Boone said. “I would say we’re going to pour everything kind of into the wild-card game and what we think will give us the best chance.”Masahiro Tanaka apparently took himself out of consideration with two straight bad starts. Severino, who had been the ace, recovered some from his recent struggles but doesn’t appear to be all the way back.That leaves Happ, who is 16-6 with a 3.57 ERA overall with Toronto and New York and should be rewarded — quite possible by the Yankees — with a free agent contract this winter.He is 7-4 with a 2.82 career ERA against the Red Sox, 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA at Fenway Park. He would be in line for only one ALDS start — Game 3, which would be in New York.Happ has pitched three times, in three different stadiums, against Boston this season, going 0-1 with two good starts and one shaky. He has 22 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings against the Red Sox.Porcello, 17-7 with a 4.33 ERA, is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA this year against the Yankees — 10-8 with a 3.16 ERA this season. He has had one bad start against New York this season, but his other two have been gems — one run and three hits in 16 innings with 15 strikeouts.The Yankees expect to have Aaron Hicks (hamstring) back in the lineup Friday night and may well get Didi Gregorius back this weekend.The Red Sox have some bad numbers against Happ, but former teammate and close friend Steve Pearce is 10-for-29 (.345) with five home runs against his buddy. Brandon Phillips is 8-for-29 (.348) with three homers, and two of Ian Kinsler’s seven hits have been home runs.But Andrew Benintendi is 0-for-15, Sandy Leon 1-for-10 (.100), Jackie Bradley Jr. 3-for-20 (.150) Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , Xander Bogaerts 5-for-29 (.172), Mookie Betts 6-for-32 (,188) with a homer, Rafael Devers 2-for-9 (.222) and J.D. Martinez 4-for-17 (.235).The Yankees have dreadful numbers against Porcello, hitting a cumulative .214 (60-for-81) but with 13 homers. Neil Walker is 1-for-14 (.071), Greg Bird 1-for-12 (.083), Andrew McCutcheon 1-for-10 (.100), Austin Romine 1-for-9 (.111), Hicks 4-for-31 (.129) with two homers, Gary Sanchez 2-for-13 (.154), Ronald Torreyes 2-for-12 (.167) and Adeiny Hechavarria 4-for-22 (.182).The Red Sox, who will open the ALDS at home next Friday and Saturday, have already broken the club record for wins in a season and, after an off-day Thursday, come into this game at 107-52.Chris Sale, who will pitch Game 1, took the loss in Wednesday night’s second game of a day/night double-header at Fenway.“Obviously I’m not where I want to be Youth Jalen Ramsey Jersey ,” he said after working 4 2/3 innings, his velocity down.“Not great, we saw that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Velocity wasn’t great. The slider, the two (players) that he hit, but then after that he had a few swings and misses. The changeup was OK.”The Yankees hit four homers, two by Giancarlo Stanton, and CC Sabathia notched his 246th career win Thursday. But the victory was costly for Sabathia, who was ejected in the sixth inning for throwing at Jesus Sucre. The ejection left him two innings shy of the 155 he needed for a $500,000 bonus.“I don’t really make decisions based on money, I guess,” said Sabathia, who would likely start a Game 4 of the ALDS. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
