Mets" Skid Hits 6 in Loss to Nationals WASHINGTON - The Mets" day began with a team meeting to discuss the importance of maintaining a standard of crisp play and high energy during this vital stretch of games. It ended in disappointment hours later, after nine innings of the sort of uninspiring play that precipitated the meeting in the first place. The Mets lost, 4-3, to the Washington Nationals, extending their season-high losing streak to six games and raising more questions about how competitive they can be once baseball's playoff races begin to crystallize over the next several weeks. Their roller-coaster first half drew positive appraisals because of the way they bounced back each time they were knocked down. But try as they might, the Mets seem unable to revive themselves during this current skid. The Mets wasted a quality start from Chris Young, whose previous outing was his worst of the season. He lasted only three innings Friday against the Atlanta Braves, giving up five runs and starting a full weekend of poor starting pitching for the Mets. But the pitching coach Dan Warthen predicted after the series that the staff would be significantly better their second turn through after the All-Star break, and he was right. Young lasted six innings and gave up his only two runs of the game on one solid swing in the bottom of the sixth. Bryce Harper opened that inning by legging out a grounder that he bounced to shortstop Ruben Tejada. One out later, Adam LaRoche, after falling behind in the count, 1-2, pounded an outside slider from Young over the wall in left-center field. The two-run shot was LaRoche's 16th homer of the season and gave the Nationals the first lead of the game. While the Mets" starters have looked better since they arrived in Washington, the team's hitters have looked anemic. They struggled against the right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, who entered the game with a 3-0 record and 1.04 earned run average over his last four starts. He pitched six innings, allowed only four hits, and struck out four batters. The Mets finally scored after Zimmermann left the game, but then proceeded to be victimized by their own careless play. Lucas Duda laced a double to center off Tom Gorzelanny with one out in the seventh. One out later, he rumbled home on Andres Torres's ground-ball single through the right side of the infield. But Torres, who has vexed the Mets this season with his reckless baserunning, ended the inning when he was tagged out easily at second after trying to advance on the throw from right field. Miguel Batista, who was named this week as the Mets" starter for their game Saturday, entered in the bottom of the seventh, and his performance did not augur well for the weekend. Batista got two quick outs but then allowed three straight hits, one of which bounced off the outside of his right leg. The last of them, a two-run double by Steve Lombardozzi, put the Nationals ahead, 4-1. In the ninth, the Mets showed shades of the pluck that has helped them maintain respectability this season. David Wright capped a three-hit performance with a solo home run, his 12th of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Tyler Clippard bounced back to strike out Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. But then Jason Bay, who returned this week from the disabled list, clanged a solo home run off the foul pole in left, bringing the Mets within one. Jordany Valdespin, who hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning of the team's loss Tuesday night, entered as a pinch hitter and struck out swinging to end the game. The sense of urgency since the Mets returned from the All-Star break was once again on display Wednesday. Two hours before the game, Collins gathered his players inside the visitors" clubhouse at Nationals Park for a rare full-team meeting. He reminded them that this was a delicate time in the season, a stretch of games during which their level of play and focus had to remain high. Collins also said he was irked somewhat by comments made by relief pitcher Pedro Beato after the Tuesday's loss that he felt could have been interpreted as subtle finger-pointing. Anything resembling discord, Collins implied, was intolerable. "We're going to make sure it's addressed a little bit, because we can't let that happen," Collins said. That can drive a wedge in this thing, and we've worked too hard to get it going smooth. Closer Frank Francisco, who has been on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle, will throw a bullpen session in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Monday. Terry Collins said he hoped Francisco could play in a rehabilitation game by the next Friday. Collins also said Wednesday that the right-hander Jon Rauch had fluid drained from both knees Tuesday.