WASHINGTON -- Yoenis Cespedes is the MVP of the New York Mets, whether or not he accrues enough at-bats to win the National League award in November.
Kelly Johnson had a game-tying pinch-hit homer and Cespedes launched a two-run shot later in the eighth inning as the Mets all but ended the NL East race with a 5-3 win Wednesday over the Washington Nationals.
The Mets (78-61) completed a stunning three-game sweep during which they overcame deficits in each game. The Amazin's opened a seven-game division lead and trimmed their magic number to 17.
Mets manager Terry Collins certainly outmaneuvered embattled Nationals counterpart Matt Williams.
With Stephen Strasburg mowing down the Mets, Collins had Johnson pinch hit for Wilmer Flores to lead off the eighth. Johnson made his manager look smart, launching a homer over the right-field wall that evened the score at 2. After Curtis Granderson's one-out single later in the frame, Williams emerged from the home dugout and drew jeers. He inserted Drew Storen, the primary culprit in a six-run seventh by the Mets on Tuesday that catapulted New York to victory.
On the second pitch from Storen, Cespedes launched a two-run homer for a 4-2 lead.
Cespedes, acquired two days after a deal for Carlos Gomez unraveled on July 29, now has 14 homers and 36 RBIs in 36 games as a Met.
Bryce Harper may ultimately be named the NL MVP, but Cespedes clearly is the runaway winner if the period is Aug. 1 through the end of the season. No player has ever won the MVP award after a midseason trade, though.
Harper and Strasburg nearly lifted the Nats to a series-salvaging win.
Harper produced two homers, the latter in the bottom of the eighth against ex-Nat Tyler Clippard, to pull Washington within 4-3. The Mets answered with an RBI single by Michael Conforto in the ninth.
After Travis d'Arnaud's solo homer in the second had evened the score at 1, Strasburg retired the next 12 batters until walking Granderson with one out in the sixth. Strasburg did not surrender a hit after the second-inning long ball until d'Arnaud's two-out single in the seventh. Strasburg had 12 strikeouts during a 17-batter stretch.
Jacob deGrom, who had a 6.75 ERA in his previous three starts, mostly kept the Nationals in check in a seven-inning performance. Harper had a solo homer in the first and doubled and scored in the fourth for the only damage against deGrom. Harper had been hitless in eight at-bats in the opening two games of the all-important series.
DeGrom limited the Nats to two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out nine in a 102-pitch win.
What's next: The Mets head to Atlanta to face the free-falling Braves in a four-game series. Bartolo Colon takes a 25-inning scoreless streak into Thursday's 7:10 p.m. ET opener. Colon (13-11, 4.18 ERA) opposes right-hander Shelby Miller (5-13, 2.81), who is winless in his past 20 starts despite an All-Star season.
