After Nats rally to tie, Mets ride rookie’s extra effort

WASHINGTON — T.J. Rivera, the Pacific Coast League batting champion who started this game on a hunch by Mets manager Terry Collins, hit his first career homer in the 10th inning to lead New York to a 4-3 victory Tuesday night at Nationals Park.

Rivera’s homer came on an 0-2 pitch from Nationals closer Mark Melancon, who surrendered a homer for the first time in 22 games with Washington. With the win, the Mets maintained their half-game lead for the second National League Wild Card spot, as the Cardinals also won on Tuesday; the Mets gained on the Giants, who lost Tuesday night and saw their lead for the first Wild Card spot fall to a half-game.

“Somebody’s got to surprise you,” Collins said. “Somebody you don’t expect has got to come through, and tonight it was T.J.”

After a quiet night on offense, the Nationals forced extra innings with a two-run rally in the ninth off Mets closer Jeurys Familia aided by an error from Jose Reyes and some weak contact that turned into hits.

“We came back. The mark of a champion is when you figure out a way to win and come back,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “Even though we lost that game, it’s going to go a long way with us in our quest for the championship.”

New York nearly spoiled a dominant outing from right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who put together another strong start in his case for the National League Cy Young Award. He struck out 10 batters in seven innings to record his first double-digit strikeout game since June.

Washington’s magic number remains at nine after right-hander A.J. Cole, who was making his fifth start in place of the injured Stephen Strasburg, spent most of the night pitching out of trouble. He allowed three runs on nine hits and issued a pair of walks in five innings, although he did strike out six.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDUnlikely contributions: It was Rivera who first broke through for the Mets, lacing an RBI single in the third inning to tie the game at 1. But his most significant contribution was the home run that he yanked over the left-field fence in the 10th, giving the Mets the lead mere moments after they lost it. A surprise inclusion into the starting lineup, Rivera added a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs to increase his average to …

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