Mets 3, Nationals 2
NEW YORK -- First baseman Lucas Duda provided the offensive power, accounting for all of the New York Mets' runs in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday before 42,996, the second largest crowd in Citi Field history.
The Mets (54-50) moved one game behind Washington (54-48) in the National League East.
Duda clubbed two solo home runs and drove in the deciding run with a double that scored Curtis Granderson, who led off the eighth inning with a double, to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.
Duda now has eight home runs in his last seven games dating to July 25. His opposite-field homer leading off the seventh tied the score at 2.
Shortstop Ian Desmond knocked in two runs for the Nationals and right fielder Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Yoenis Cespedes made his Mets debut, starting in left field and hitting third. Cespedes, acquired from the Detroit Tigers on Friday, went 0-for-4.
Jeurys Familia notched his 28th save and Hansel Robles (3-2) picked up the win. Matt Thornton (1-1) took the loss.
Mets starter Jacob deGrom lasted six innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven and walking one. In his previous start, deGrom allowed two runs and three hits while striking out eight in six innings in a 7-2 win at Washington on July 21.
Washington's Joe Ross, making just the sixth start of his young career, also didn't factor in the outcome. He went seven innings, giving up four hits -- two via Duda's homers -- struck out six and walked one.
Desmond provided the Nationals with a 2-0 lead in the first inning when he cracked a broken-bat single just past shortstop Ruben Tejada with two outs and the bases loaded. DeGrom threw 31 pitches in the inning.
Duda cut Washington's lead in half in the fourth with his 19th home run of the season, a deep drive to right center field. It was his seventh home run in the last seven games dating to July 25.
Until Duda's blast, Ross had not allowed a hit, retiring 11 of 12 Mets. Duda had been the lone base runner, drawing a walk to lead off the second.
Right-handed batters entered the game hitting just .187 against Ross.
NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said 3B David Wright will stay with the team through next week, then start a rehab assignment with St. Lucie. Wright has been out since April 14 with a back injury. ... OF Yoenis Cespedes, acquired from Detroit before the trade deadline, is the 11th Cuban-born player to play for the Mets. To make room for Cespedes, who won the 2013 Home Run Derby at Citi Field, the Mets sent OF Michael Conforto to Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Major League Baseball made a scoring change in the Mets-Nationals game on July 20. Washington INF Danny Espinosa's bunt single was changed to an error by Mets P Matt Harvey, which makes both runs scored in the first inning unearned. ... Nationals RHP Max Scherzer's 9.05 SO/BB this season is fifth all time since 1900.