NEW YORK (AP) — After letting a big chance to tighten the NL East race slip away, New York Mets manager Terry Collins was looking forward to taking a break.
Taking a break from facing Daniel Murphy was bound to help, too.
Murphy kept answering the Citi Field boos with booms, hitting his seventh home run this year against the team that let him go last winter and leading the Washington Nationals over the Mets 3-2 Sunday.
The Mets won the opener of the four-game set, then dropped three in a row to fall six games behind the Nats going into the All-Star Game. Not even two home runs from leadoff man Jose Reyes was enough in the series finale.
"We're still in the race. The state of the team is we're banged up," Collins said.
"We've been in this situation one year ago where things looked bleak. We end up playing in the World Series," he said. "So we're upbeat, we're going to take the rest and get ready for the second half."
Murphy tops the majors with a .348 batting average at the All-Star break, boosted by the damage he's done to the Mets. He homered three times and drove in 10 runs in this series.
"I don't think it's just against us. He's hitting like .350," losing pitcher Steven Matz said.
"I don't have any answer," he said.
Murphy lined a two-run drive off the facing off the upper deck in the first inning. Overall, he is 22 for 52 (.423) with 21 RBIs vs. his old club.
If there's any consolation for Collins, he'll soon have Murphy back on his side, albeit for just a day — Collins is guiding the NL team in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in San Diego, and Murphy is on the squad.
The Nationals posted their 54th win, matching the 1994 Montreal Expos for the most in franchise history before the break.
Reyes homered in his first two at-bats. His next time up, he took three wild swings and struck out.
Gio Gonzalez (5-8) pitched into the sixth as the Nats beat the Mets for the ninth time in 13 matchups this year.
Tanner Roark made his first relief appearance of the season, replacing Gonzalez and retiring seven straight batters. He went seven innings last Wednesday for a win.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 21 chances.
Matz (7-5) fell to 0-4 in his last eight starts. He gave up an RBI single to All-Star Wilson Ramos in the third that put Washington ahead 3-1, and left after the seventh.
It took Murphy less than two months to go from valued ex-player to villain at his former home. Murphy drew two standing ovations and got a video tribute when he returned for the first time in mid-May.
The longtime second baseman whose playoff slugging helped the Mets reach the World Series last year got jeered every time he came to the plate on this afternoon. He managed to make at least one new fan, however — after chasing down a popup that landed in foul territory, he pointed to a young person in the stands and tossed the souvenir that way.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: OF Yoenis Cespedes (strained right quadriceps) hasn't started since getting hurt Friday night. Collins said it was unlikely the slugger would've been able to pinch-hit. ... OF Alejandro De Aza twice knocked himself down with foul balls in the fourth. He got checked and stayed in.
RAISING REYES
Reyes hit his 22nd career leadoff home run, including 17 with the Mets that tied teammate Curtis Granderson for most in team history. Reyes' liner to left in the third gave him his eighth career multihomer game and first since 2011.
"It's always a surprise for me when I hit a homer because I don't hit too many," he said.
UP NEXT
Nationals: Open a nine-game homestand next Friday, starting with Pittsburgh. The Dodgers and Padres later visit Washington.
Mets: Start a three-game series at Philadelphia on Friday. RHP Noah Syndergaard, who left his last start with arm fatigue, will pitch at the back end of the rotation coming out of the break, Collins said.
