Entering the game in relief of starter Megill, José Buttó allowed consecutive two-out hits, including an RBI single. Then, a three-run home run by Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams, his first of the season, narrowed the Mets’ lead to 7-6.

CJ Abrams scored the winning run on Pete Alonso’s throwing error with one out in the ninth inning, and the Washington Nationals rallied from a six-run deficit to defeat the New York

Then, on his ninth pitch of the inning, a cutter that fell out of the strike zone for a ball, Minter pulled his elbow in, winching in pain. Mets trainers wasted no time in visiting Minter on the mound, and after a brief moment, the veteran reliever was headed back into the dugout, his head hanging as he left.

The lefty left Saturday's game after throwing his ninth pitch. He signed a two-year deal with the Mets for $22 million in January.

Minter, 31, is 0-0 with a 1.64 ERA and seven holds in his first season with the Mets. “I’m just glad it wasn’t my elbow,” he said Saturday.