The Mets' season of heartbreak continued Thursday afternoon at Citi Field, as CJ Abrams crushed a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 victory and a series win over their division rivals.

New York actually held a 4-3 lead heading into the eighth, but reliever Luke Weaver—who has struggled mightily since arriving from the Yankees, posting a 6.00 ERA—served up a no-doubt blast to Abrams that turned the game upside down.

The Nationals jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Mets showed some fight. In the bottom of the third, MJ Melendez launched a three-run homer—just his second of the season—to tie the game and breathe life into the home dugout.

The score remained knotted at 3-3 until the seventh, when Mark Vientos doubled home Juan Soto—who had another strong afternoon, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk—to give the Mets a 4-3 lead and hand the ball to their bullpen.

Soto tried to spark a rally in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff double, but he was stranded at second. In the ninth, Francisco Alvarez delivered a pinch-hit, two-out double down the left-field line to give New York one more chance, but Ronny Mauricio struck out to end the game.

On the bright side, ace Freddy Peralta delivered a quality start, tossing six innings and allowing three runs (only one earned) on four hits while striking out six. A throwing error by Peralta in the second inning led to those two unearned runs crossing the plate.

But positives are hard to find at Citi Field these days. The atmosphere is eerily reminiscent of the Wilpon ownership era—empty stands and a fan base that expects defeat, no matter how the game unfolds.

The Mets wrap up April with a league-worst 10-21 record and will happily flip the calendar. They head to the West Coast for a nine-game road trip against the Angels, Rockies, and Diamondbacks, hoping to turn their season around.