Nationals’ Citi Field win streak ends at 12 games as Mets prevail

NEW YORK — Juan Lagares hit a go-ahead double and the New York Mets made it stand up, ending a 12-game home skid against Washington by holding off the NL East-leading Nationals 4-3 Friday night.

The Mets’ losing streak at Citi Field versus Washington dated to last season, and was their longest in team history against a visiting club.

Washington came close in the ninth inning. Denard Span led off with a single against Jenrry Mejia, and Asdrubal Cabrera flied out to the wall. After Span stole his 30th base, Mejia struck out Anthony Rendon, walked Adam LaRoche and then fanned Ian Desmond for his 26th save in 28 chances.

Rendon got three hits, including his 20th homer — which came after a replay reversal. Washington has outhomered the Mets 32-6 over their last 13 meetings in New York.

Dillon Gee (7-7) and a trio of Mets relievers ended the drought, helped when Lagares drove in Eric Young Jr. for a 4-3 lead in the fifth.

Travis d’Arnaud put New York ahead with a bases-loaded double in the first off Gio Gonzalez (8-10). Three runs scored on the hit, with Lucas Duda kicking the ball out of catcher Wilson Ramos’ glove for an error.

In his last eight games, d’Arnaud has five doubles and seven RBI.

LaRoche and Ramos hit RBI singles in the third, and Rendon hit a solo homer in the fifth that made it 3-all.

Gee gave up nine hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Carlos Torres threw a double-play ball to end the sixth and worked the seventh, Jeurys Familia pitched the eighth and Mejia closed.

Lagares also singled, was hit by a pitch and stole a base.

Mets rookie second baseman Dilson Herrera boxed around several grounders. But he also went back for a tricky catch on Cabrera’s soft liner with the bases loaded to end the second.

A day after Bartolo Colon was ejected for hitting two Washington batters with pitches following home runs and a Mets batter got nicked, Nationals manager Matt Williams predicted there wouldn’t be any carry-over from the “shenanigans.”

There were a couple of early HBPs, but no hostility. Lagares was plunked by Washington for the third straight series, and Span was hit by Gee on a pitch that bounced.