Mets Beat Nationals 4-3

T.J. Rivera homered in the top of the 10th inning to lead the New York Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

The Mets pulled within nine games of Washington in the NL East and retained their hold on the second NL wild-card spot. New York has won eight of its last 10 and is 17-6 since Aug. 20, gaining 3 1/2 games on Washington in that stretch.

Rivera, who had three RBIs, drilled an 0-2 pitch with one out in the 10th into the left field seats off Nationals closer Mark Melancon (2-2). The loss snapped Washington's four-game winning streak.

Jeurys Familia (3-3) earned the victory despite surrendering two runs in the ninth to blow his fourth save of the season. Left-hander Jerry Blevins struck out Daniel Murphy for the final out to earn his first save.

Washington mustered only four hits in the first eight innings, but quickly got to Familia in the ninth. Murphy led off with an infield single, and third baseman Jose Reyes threw Bryce Harper's grounder into the seats. Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos then delivered consecutive singles to tie it.

Familia then got Ryan Zimmerman to line out and pinch-hitter Clint Robinson to hit a soft liner to second that fooled pinch-runner Wilmer Difo, who was doubled off first.

Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 over seven innings for the Mets, yielding just one run and four hits.

Nationals starter A.J. Cole allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings.

Murphy extended his hitting streak against the Mets to 18 games and has hit safely in every game against New York since signing with the Nationals as a free agent last winter.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: INF Wilmer Flores (stiff neck) remained out of the lineup was going to try to hit in the batting cage before the game. Flores has not played since Saturday. ... OF Justin Ruggiano, on the DL since Aug. 27, underwent left shoulder surgery. He hit .350 with two homers in 20 at-bats this season.

Nationals: 1B Zimmerman, who did not start the last two times Syndergaard pitched against Washington, was in the lineup against the right-hander. Zimmerman entered the night 1 for 8 lifetime against Syndergaard and went 1 for 3 against him. He finished the ninth 1 for 4 and is 4 for 28 on the Nationals' homestand.

UP NEXT

Mets: RHP Robert Gsellman (2-1, 3.92) faces Washington for the second time this month. The rookie allowed one run in six innings to earn the victory against the Nationals on Sept. 3.

Nationals: RHP Tanner Roark (14-8, 2.85), who has quality starts in seven of his last nine outings, starts the finale of the three-game series for Washington.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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