Lucas Duda hits two home runs as Mets defeat Nationals

NEW YORK — A roaring crowd. A newcomer to a suddenly potent lineup. A stingy pitching staff. The Washington Nationals are finding it’s not so easy playing at Citi Field anymore.

They could find themselves out of sole possession of first place, too, if they don’t figure out a way to break though against these new-look New York Mets.

Washington wasted an early two-run lead Saturday night, losing, 3-2, to New York behind Lucas Duda’s two home runs and a tie-breaking double.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve come to play the Mets and they’ve had a packed stadium. It’s good for baseball. It makes it fun,” Jayson Werth said. “I don’t think it adds any pressure or anything like that. It just makes it for an exciting night of baseball and a good atmosphere. We welcome the challenge.”

The Nationals ran off 12 consecutive wins at Citi Field, a streak that ended last September. The Mets have won the first two games in this series to secure a home series win against Washington for the first time since April 21, 2013.

With their second consecutive late win, the Mets moved one game behind Washington in the National League East with one game remaining in the series.

Playing for the first time since being acquired from Detroit on Friday at the non-waiver trade deadline, Yoenis Cespedes was walked by left-handed reliever Matt Thornton (1-1) to face Duda, a lefty, even though Duda had already hit two home runs off Joe Ross and has been on a recent tear.

“We have confidence in [Thornton] every time he faces a lefty,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “You get an opportunity to get him back in there tomorrow, we’ll do it.”

With 42,996 fans on their feet and cheering, Duda drove a 1-2 pitch the opposite way to left field that short-hopped the wall. Curtis Granderson, who doubled leading off the inning, scored to put New York ahead.

New York fell behind in the first on Ian Desmond’s two-run single off Jacob deGrom, tiring the Mets all-star with long at-bats in a 31-pitch inning. But deGrom held the Nationals through six innings, even without his best fastball.

Hansel Robles (3-2) struck out Bryce Harper and Werth in the eighth for the win.

Jeurys Familia was perfect in the ninth for his 28th save, striking out Michael Taylor with the elated crowd stand and chanting “Let’s go Mets!” for the final out.

Ross held New York without a hit until Duda sent a shot to center field with two outs in the fourth. Duda then hot a home run to left field leading off the seventh for his eighth longball in seven days.

“Both home runs, they were OK pitches, I wouldn’t say down the middle by any means.” Ross said. “I guess I kind of learned my lesson, be a little bit more careful next time. He had a helluva game.”

Four days earlier, Duda hit one of his three home runs in the game against the Padres off Ross’ brother, Tyson Ross.

Joe Ross allowed only two other hits in 6 1/3 innings.

“Those guys are filthy — two pretty exceptional pitchers,” Duda said.

Cespedes batted third and received a polite standing ovation when he came to the plate in the first. He grounded out in his first two at-bats, but he got a rise out of the crowd in the sixth when he hit a long flyball to left that went foul. He struck out and finished 0-for-3 with the walk.