WASHINGTON — The New York Mets‘ group of rookies has done well enough to impact games and even help the big league squad win a few of them this season, but there was little offensive impact to be found from veterans and rookies alike when left-hander Zach Thornton made his debut. Thornton became the fourth homegrown prospect to earn a Major League call-up this season, but the 24-year-old ...

Zach Thornton of the New York Mets pitches during the second inning of his Major League debut, against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C..

Scott Taetsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

WASHINGTON — The New York Mets‘ group of rookies has done well enough to impact games and even help the big league squad win a few of them this season, but there was little offensive impact to be found from veterans and rookies alike when left-hander Zach Thornton made his debut.

Thornton became the fourth homegrown prospect to earn a Major League call-up this season, but the 24-year-old Minnesota native was far from the first pitcher to receive little run support. Outside of two home runs by Juan Soto, the Mets failed to score anything in the middle innings in an 8-4 loss to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

It was their second straight loss. They can split the series with a win Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park.

Whether it was jitters or aggressive hitters, Thornton struggled from the start, giving up a three-run shot to CJ Abrams in the first inning. The Nats went up 4-1 in the second, and Soto’s homer off right-hander Zack Littell (3-4) briefly cut the lead of his old team in half.

Taking the spot of the injured Clay Holmes for this turn in the rotation, Thornton was able to settle into his outing, retiring the side in order in the third and fourth. But the first and second innings cost his pitch count, and since he hadn’t thrown more than 84 in the minor leagues, the Mets had to limit him. He reached the 80-pitch mark after giving up a double to catcher Keibert Ruiz in the fifth, then retired leadoff hitter James Wood.

Right-hander Austin Warren came in to finish the inning, stranding Ruiz.

Thornton (0-1) might not be the answer, but it might be worth giving him another start, after ending his night with four earned runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

The Mets (21-28) were able to come back in each of their last six wins, and they nearly did again when Soto hit his second of the night, a two-run homer off left-hander Andrew Alvarez in the top of the eighth. But by then, Washington had scored six. Two singles, a double, a sac fly and a squeeze play in the sixth gave the Nationals a 6-2 lead.

Soto cut the lead to two runs, but before that, the Mets hadn’t been able to even create traffic on the basepaths. They took two runs off Littell using five hits over five innings, and two runs off two hits and a walk off Alvarez over the final four. It wasn’t enough to withstand any more offense from Washington (25-25), the league’s leader in runs scored with nearly six per game.

In his third inning of work, right-hander Craig Kimbrel gave up a two-run dagger of a homer to Jacob Young. It was the first time the 38-year-old Kimbrel had gotten more than four outs in an outing since 2022, but with a bullpen that’s seen some exceptionally heavy usage, the Mets didn’t have much to work with.

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