Young's sensational catches lead Nationals to 3-2 win that damages Mets' playoff chances

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NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob Young made a pair of sensational catches in center field to prevent extra-base hits Sunday as the Washington Nationals hung on and handed the New York Mets a costly 3-2 defeat.

The Mets, who have lost 11 of 15 and are 35-52 since mid-June, dropped into a tie with the streaking Reds for the final National League wild card. Cincinnati, which beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0, holds the tiebreaker over New York.

With the Mets down 3-1, Brett Baty led off the fifth inning with a long fly to center against Jake Irvin (9-13). Young initially made a twisting, leaping catch, but lost the ball as he crashed into the wall. As the ball was falling toward the ground, a stumbling Young kicked it back up into the air — hacky-sack style — and gloved it a second time for a circus catch.

Young made an even more timely catch when he leaped and reached over the left-center fence to rob Francisco Alvarez of a tying homer leading off the ninth.

Francisco Lindor homered leading off the sixth for the Mets, but Mitchell Parker escaped a two-on, one-out jam. Making his first major league relief appearance after 59 starts, Parker threw the final 3 2/3 innings to earn the save in relief of Irvin, who entered 0-8 with a 9.00 ERA in his previous nine outings.

Daylen Lile scored on Lindor’s throwing error at shortstop in the second, when Nasim Nuñez hit a two-run homer off Sean Manaea (2-4), reinstated from the paternity list before the game.

Cedric Mullins had an RBI single in the second, when his sinking liner eluded a sliding Lile, who exited with a bruised left knee.

Manaea gave up four hits and struck out three in three-plus innings.

Nuñez’s homer was his third this month after he went his first 74 big league games without one.

The Nationals won their second series over the Mets in a month. … The Mets finished 49-32 at home and drew 3,182,057 fans to Citi Field this season — their most ever at the ballpark, which opened in 2009.

LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-14, 4.00 ERA) starts Monday as the Nationals continue their final road trip against LHP Chris Sale (5-5, 2.35) and the Atlanta Braves.

After a day off, LHP David Peterson (9-6, 3.98 ERA) pitches Tuesday for the Mets at Wrigley Field against Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton (11-4, 2.66).

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