Mets beat Nationals 2-1 on Marte's single in 10th inning

NEW YORK (AP) — Starling Marte lined a game-ending single in the 10th inning that lifted the New York Mets to a critical 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

New York moved a game ahead of rival Atlanta for the final National League wild card when the Braves were blown out 9-0 at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Cool,” pitcher Sean Manaea said with a grin. “Let’s keep it going.”

Playing again without Francisco Lindor, who will be sidelined for a few more days due to a sore back, the Mets got just two runners beyond first base in the first seven innings. But then Jose Iglesias, replacing Lindor at shortstop and atop the lineup, hit an RBI infield single off the glove of reliever Derek Law with two outs in the eighth.

Tyrone Taylor, who doubled leading off, scored from third as Iglesias improved to 11 for 23 (.478) with two outs and runners in scoring position this season. He has a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .323 in 73 games overall after not playing in the majors last season.

“I think we’ve got something good going,” Iglesias said. “Just glad to be part of it.”

In the 10th, automatic runner Harrison Bader advanced from second base to third on a flyout to deep right field by Francisco Alvarez. Marte ripped a one-out single off Jacob Barnes (8-3) down the line in left field, where James Wood barely budged as Bader trotted home.

Marte, who sat out Sunday’s game in Philadelphia after being hit in the left forearm by a pitch, has been a semi-regular player after missing nearly two months with a bone bruise on his right knee. He spiked his helmet as he rounded first base before being swarmed by a group of teammates led by Jesse Winker, who tore off Marte’s uniform as he was being doused with water.

“This is a guy that’s been a pretty good player in this league for a long time, and when he’s healthy, when he’s feeling good, he’s dangerous,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “A lot of guys will continue to step up and today it was Marte.”

It was the 11th walk-off victory for the Mets this year, tied for most in the majors. New York (82-68) also clinched a winning season on Marte’s 11th career game-ending RBI, his first this season.

“For the players to be able to go out there and chase me with water and ice and throw it on top of me, that’s all that matters,” Marte said through a translator.

Washington (68-82) was assured its fifth straight losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.

Reed Garrett (8-5) worked a hitless 10th, when automatic runner José Tena was stranded at third after a sacrifice bunt. The Nationals were hitless in their final eight plate appearances with a runner on.

Manaea allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. The left-hander has lasted at least 6 2/3 innings in seven consecutive outings.

Jake Irvin gave up one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings for the Nationals.

“You know this team is known to put some runs up on the board,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “They didn’t today thanks to Jake and our pitching, It all came down to a couple of key at-bats. We couldn’t get the job done.”

REMEMBERING ED

The Mets aired a video tribute and held a moment of silence before the game in honor of Ed Kranepool, who died last week at 79. His grandson, Ethan, threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Kranepool’s son, Keith.

Ed Kranepool, a New York City native, debuted with the Mets at age 17 in 1962 and played his entire career with the team. He holds the franchise record for games played (1,853) and ranks in the top five in hits, doubles and RBIs.

“He really loved everything and anything he could do to contribute to the organization,” Keith Kranepool said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: SS CJ Abrams (left shoulder) missed his fourth straight game but took batting practice and could be nearing a return.

Mets: Lindor (back) hopes to miss only a few more days after an MRI revealed no structural damage. Lindor played in the Mets’ first 147 games before sitting out Saturday and exiting Sunday’s game after one inning. … Marte (left forearm) entered in the eighth, when he grounded out as a pinch hitter with Taylor on third.

UP NEXT

The three-game series continues Tuesday night, when Mets RHP Tylor Megill (3-5, 4.48 ERA) is scheduled to face LHP Mitchell Parker (7-9, 4.24).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets' Sean Manaea pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Washington Nationals' Jake Irvin pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Jose Iglesias celebrates after hitting an RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Jose Iglesias celebrates after hitting an RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Edwin Diaz pitches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Starling Marte gestures as he runs to first base after hitting an RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Washington Nationals' Jake Irvin pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Sean Manaea pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Jose Iglesias hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Starling Marte, front right, and Francisco Alvarez, center left, celebrate with teammates after a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Starling Marte (6) celebrates with teammates after a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Starling Marte gestures as he runs to first base after hitting an RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Starling Marte hits an RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Soldiers and volunteers in southwestern Poland laid sandbags Wednesday near swollen rivers around the city of Wroclaw to protect homes and businesses after days of flooding across Central Europe.

Poland joins Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania in being hard hit by floods following record rains in the region starting last Thursday. Authorities have reported 23 deaths, with seven each in Poland and Romania, five in Austria and four in the Czech Republic.

The floods in Central Europe combined with deadly wildfires in Portugal are joint proof of a “climate breakdown” that will become the norm unless drastic action is taken, the European Union’s head office said Wednesday.

The fourth death in the Czech Republic was reported Wednesday, when police said they found the body of a 70-year-old woman who was swept away by waters on Sunday in the town of Kobyla nad Vidnavkou near the town of Jesenik, located in the badly hit northeast.

The weather has improved, with warm and sunny conditions in the Czech Republic, Poland and elsewhere. Water levels were falling in some places, allowing authorities and residents to clean up debris.

Firefighters in Poland were pumping water out of flooded streets and basements. And in Romania, about 1,000 firefighters were working across the country to clean up severely affected areas, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said Wednesday in a Facebook post.

But some areas are still under threat, particularly in southwestern Poland.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk held crisis meetings in Wroclaw with local officials and rescue services, urging protective measures and saying his government will help those affected. Floodwaters were expected to crest late Wednesday, and high water levels were expected to continue for many hours, even days.

Soldiers and residents in Marcinkowice, near Wroclaw, laid sandbags near a bridge over the Olawa River, whose waters flow into the Oder, the major river that rises in the Oder Mountains in the Czech Republic and runs north through Poland to Germany.

The community leader of the town of Olawa, Artur Piotrowski, described the situation as difficult. He told the Polish state news agency PAP that two villages in a low-lying area have been flooded since Monday and residents have refused to evacuate.

Thousands of Polish soldiers were in action. Some evacuated people and animals — including dogs and horses — from flood-affected areas and distributed food and drinking water. The army also posted on X on Wednesday that it set up a field hospital in the town of Nysa after patients in a hospital there had to be evacuated earlier this week.

Soldiers also were building a temporary bridge in the town of Glucholazy to replace one that was washed away by the flooding.

Residents in another flood-damaged town, Stronie Slaskie, have appealed to Tusk to send someone to direct the cleaning and recovery action, saying it was chaotic and inefficient.

Experts have been preparing for flood threats due to the cresting Oder River in Opole, a city of some 130,000 residents, which seems to have avoided any major flooding, and in Wroclaw, home to about 640,000 residents, which suffered disastrous flooding in 1997.

This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows flooded homes and fields following record rains in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Chicken stand on the rooftop of a garage to shelter themselves from floods in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

An aerial view of a flooded neighbourhood in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A cyclist looks at Donaukanal channel flood its banks at Urania observatory in central Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows floodwaters and debris after record rains in Glucholazy, Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

A view of a flooded area near the Danube river in Bratislava, Slovakia, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

People take photos of rising waters on the banks of the River Danube, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomas Hrivnak)

Residents paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

In this photo released by the Romanian Emergency Services Galati (ISU Galati), a rescuer carries a woman in Pechea, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 after torrential rainstorms left scores of people stranded in flooded areas. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Galati via AP)

An old tram car is parked in flooded area near the Danube river in Bratislava, Slovakia, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows flooded fields and damaged homes after record rains along the Biala Ladecka River in Stronie Slaskie, Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

On this handout photo provided by the State Fire Service of Poland, firefighters inspecting safety of houses following heavy flooding in the town of Stronie Slaskie, southwestern Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Tomasz Fijołek/KG PSP via AP)

This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows debris and mud after heavy rains and flooding in Stronie Slaskie, Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

On this handout photo provided by the State Fire Service of Poland, firefighters inspecting safety of houses following heavy flooding in the town of Stronie Slaskie, southwestern Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Tomasz Fijołek/KG PSP via AP)

On this handout photo provided by the State Fire Service of Poland, a firefighter writes "Zakaz" (Entry prohibited), on a building damaged by following heavy flooding in the town of Stronie Slaskie, southwestern Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Tomasz Fijołek/KG PSP via AP)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows a flooded area and the swollen Danube River in Kisoroszi, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows a flooded area and the swollen Danube River in Kisoroszi, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows a flooded area and the swollen Danube River in Kisoroszi, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows a flooded area and the swollen Danube River in Kisoroszi, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Gergely Janossy/MTI via AP)

A caffe is seen damaged after the high flood waves passed through the town, in Nysa, southwestern Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

A view of flooded streets in Plav, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Stanislav Hodina)

Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A view of flooded sports club in Plav, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Stanislav Hodina)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters pump water and mud from city streets and help clean the city of Głogow that was hit by a high flood wave, in Głogow, southwestern Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters pump water and mud from city streets and help clean the city of Głogow that was hit by a high flood wave, in Głogow, southwestern Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (KG PSP via AP)