NEW YORK -- Coming into this week's series against the Nationals, the Mets held a distinct and relatively unfamiliar edge over their National League East rivals. Their six-game NL East lead spoke volumes about their hot start, giving them an opportunity to press their advantage against the two-time defending division champions.
The prospect of a series sweep threatened to unravel much of that edge, until an eighth-inning rally at Citi Field on Wednesday allowed the Mets to escape with an 11-5 win in the finale.
Trailing by two runs in the eighth, the Mets opened the inning with consecutive hits by Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera.