NEW YORK _ Turns out, the Mets aren't infallible.
They were all set up Monday night for a fourth win in four games against the Nationals, up by five runs in the late innings, but Washington scored six against five pitchers in the eighth for a stunning 8-6 comeback victory.
The turnaround served as a stark reminder: The Nationals, hampered by injuries and without their top starters pitching this series, were the preseason division favorite three weeks ago and are still a good team. The Mets, who entered with the best record in the National League (12-2) and best bullpen ERA in the majors (1.51), probably will lose at least another 70 or so games.
The Mets lead the Nationals by five games in the NL East.
Right-hander Jacob deGrom dominated into the eighth. The Mets jogged off the field to boos from the Citi Field crowd three outs later.
In between, Mickey Callaway's usual parade of relievers _ so effective so often through the season's first 2 { weeks _ collapsed. Seth Lugo (one run, zero outs), Jerry Blevins (one run, zero outs), AJ Ramos (two runs, one out) were all charged with more runs than outs. Jeurys Familia blew a save for the first time this year, with Wilmer Difo's two-run single through the right side of the infield driving in two to tie it.
Familia walked Michael A. Taylor, a .183 hitter, on five pitches with the bases loaded to put the Nationals up 7-6.
Howie Kendrick provided an insurance run with a homer off Hansel Robles in the ninth.
In the first seven innings, the Nats were 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. In the eighth, they went 3-for-4.
Mets relievers had allowed nine earned runs in 53 2/3 innings entering Monday. On Monday, they allowed five in 1 2/3 innings.
The ugly eighth ruined what had been a dominant night for deGrom. He had the Mets' longest outing this year by innings (7 1/3) and pitches (103) and struck out 12. The Nationals scored three runs against him, with two of them inherited runners who came in on a single by Bryce Harper.
The other run came in the first inning on Harper's broken-bat home run. Harper swung at a first-pitch fastball, but as the ball sailed over the wall in right-center, he started down the line with only the splintered handle. Momentum flung the barrel of the bat into the screen behind home plate.
DeGrom settled in and was efficient throughout the night, maxing out at 15 pitches in an inning until he threw 19 in his partial eighth.
Callaway said he expects his starters, particularly deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, to pitch deeper than they have been once it gets warmer.
"That's always pretty vital to a really good team," Callaway said Monday afternoon. "Once it starts warming up, I think you're going to see these guys where they need to be."
The Mets showed off their offensive versatility in the sixth and seventh. In the sixth, the Mets scored twice without a hit. They turned two walks, two steals, a sacrifice bunt and an error into a rally. In the seventh, they scored twice on two hits: Brandon Nimmo's leadoff triple (401 feet to center) and Asdrubal Cabrera's homer (359 feet to right).
The Mets scored early twice, both on Todd Frazier hits against Jeremy Hellickson (4 2/3 innings, two runs). Frazier singled home Michael Conforto in the first and doubled home Cabrera (4-for-5) in the third.
Juan Lagares ran to the top of the Mets' leader board in steals in the sixth. In a span of seconds, he stole second and third, his first two of the year but more than any of his teammates. Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo each have one.
