Nationals hold off Mets in ninth inning Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:52pm EDT (Reuters) - The Washington Nationals held on in a nervous finish to edge the New York Mets 4-3 on Wednesday and strengthen their hold on the National League East. Washington entered the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead but back-to-back home runs by David Wright and Jason Bay put the Mets in sight of an upset before closer Tyler Clippard steadied to make the final out. The win gave the Nationals (53-36) a four-game division lead over Atlanta, and an eight-game advantage on the struggling Mets (46-45) who have lost their last six straight. The Nationals scored two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings, while Jordan Zimmerman tossed six scoreless innings. Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Ian Ransom