Rivera’s home run lifts Mets past Nationals in 10 innings

Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman had RBI singles in the fourth to make it 8-1.

NY (76-68) is very much in the NL wild-card hunt, and that is one reason manager Terry Collins didn’t have much patience with starting pitcher Rafael Montero, who walked two with the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up six runs overall before he was lifted in the second. In Cincinnati his last time out, Syndergaard got a win with five innings, six hits and no earned. Manager Terry Collins has lived and died by the long ball all season.

“It is frustrating because he has good stuff”, Collins said. “But he gets himself in trouble because he gets behind in counts”.

Mat Latos was removed from his first start with the Washington Nationals on Monday when he appeared to injure his right leg with one out in the fifth inning.

He now has struck out double-digit batters in 10 career games and recorded his 200th career strikeout when he fanned Danny Espinosa in the fifth. This outing likely put an end to Montero’s time in the starting rotation; he’s hasn’t proven he can command the strike zone. That was one encouraging sign for the Nats, who will otherwise want to put this one behind them.

Yet when Montero’s turn to bat came in the top of the second inning with two runners on base and two outs, Collins made a decision to allow Montero to hit rather than lift him for a pinch hitter.

In the 10th, Fernando Salas recorded the first two outs before allowing a bloop single to Jayson Werth. What followed was a cluster of poor defense and some bad luck, and Familia walked back to the dugout with the score tied 3-3 and the game heading to extra innings despite generating weak contact on most of the batted balls he gave up. Bryce Harper sent a grounder to third for what should have been the first out, but Jose Reyes sailed the throw.

Ben Revere is hitting.364 in 11 at-bats against him, Wilson Ramos is at.333 in 12 trips, and Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper are both hitting.313 in 16 at-bats against the Tuesday starter. It was the 60th and final pitch of Montero’s outing. Daniel Murphy has hit 180 times with 88 runs, 25 homers and 102 RBI. But it at least gives some measure for how often that type of contact has gone for a hit based on major league averages. Backman spent the last four seasons as manager of the Las Vegas 51s.

Mets: Infielder Wilmer Flores missed his second straight game with a stiff neck. Flores was injured Saturday after a home plate collision with Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Nationals: Manager Dusty Baker is optimistic that RHP Joe Ross (shoulder inflammation) will soon be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. The Nationals waited until Sunday afternoon to announce that the veteran, who will make his first start with Washington and his third appearance overall, will start for the series opener.

Rookie 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 Tuesday night. It continued on Monday night in our nation’s capital even though they were trounced by the Washington Nationals 8-1. He finished the ninth 1 for 4 and is 4 for 28 on the Nationals’ homestand. New York, which has won seven of its last eight and is 16-5 since August 20, continues its nine-game road trip with three in Washington beginning Monday as it sits one-half game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild card and 1 1/2 behind San Francisco for the top spot.The Mets appear to have a significant advantage over their wild-card rivals because after the Nationals series, their final 16 games are against teams with losing records starting with a 10-game homestand versus Minnesota, Atlanta and Philadelphia.