The Mets finally realized that the key to winning is not only getting ahead, but staying there.

David Wright drove in three runs to go over the century mark for the third straight year and New York’s pitchers were finally able to hold a lead in an 8-4 win over the Nationals on Wednesday at RFK Stadium which snapped the club’s second five-game losing streak in three weeks.

A question mark after leaving Tuesday’s game with tightness in his quad, Moises Alou was in the starting lineup and drove in a run on three hits to extend his hitting streak to 23 games, the best mark in the National League this year.

Mike Pelfrey pitched in and out of trouble through five innings to notch his third consecutive win for the Mets, who gained a game on the second-place Phillies for the first time since Sep. 11.

With the game tied, 2-2, in the fifth, New York moved ahead for good off Nationals starter Matt Chico.

Jose Reyes singled with one out and scored easily on Luis Castillo’s triple to left-center. Wright (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI) followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 edge.

Washington would answer back immediately in the bottom half off Pelfrey (3-7), who was starting for the first time since Sep. 7.

Felipe Lopez singled to start the fifth, took second on a wild pitch and moved over to third on Ryan Zimmerman’s groundout. Following a walk to Wily Mo Pena, Austin Kearns grounded into a fielder’s choice which forced Pena at second but allowed Lopez (3-for-5) to score, slicing the lead to 4-3.

New York restored their two-run lead off Chico (5-9) in the sixth when Alou (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) stroked a two-bagger to start the inning and was sacrificed to third by Jeff Conine. Paul Lo Duca lifted his second sacrifice fly of the game and to put his club up, 5-3.

Chico was lifted after just 5 1/3 innings and was charged with five runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. The 24-year-old southpaw is winless in his last seven starts (0-3) dating back to July 31 and has just two victories in 20 outings.

Washington threatened in the bottom half off Pelfrey, putting runners at first third with nobody out after a leadoff walk to Robert Fick and a single by Jesus Flores. Mets manager Willie Randolph pulled his 23-year-old starter in favor of Jorge Sosa, who had been scored upon in four his last five appearances.

The right-hander was up to the challenge, though, striking out pinch-hitter D’Angelo Jimenez and getting Nook Logan to ground into an inning-ending 6-6-3 double play.

The escaped job closed the book on Pelfrey, who surrendered three runs on nine hits and three walks while fanning four in five-plus frames. It was the third straight victory for the right-hander, who began the year 0-7 with a 6.10 ERA over nine starts.

New York made sure there would be no late-inning comebacks by the opposition, scoring three times off Nats reliever Chris Schroder in the seventh.

After entering the game in the sixth in a double-switch, Shawn Green continued his hot hitting, smacking a leadoff single before moving to second on a sacrifice by Reyes (2-for-4, 2B). Castillo followed with a slow roller towards first that Fick fielded, but threw wildly to Schroder who was attempting to cover first.

The miscue scored Green and enabled Castillo to move to second before he scored himself on Wright’s 38th double of the season. Alou’s RBI single two batters later increased the lead to 8-3.

Sosa followed with a scoreless seventh, Aaron Heilman pitched a scoreless eighth and Billy Wagner, appearing in his first game since Sep. 14, allowed an unearned run on a pair of hits in the ninth.

Green (2-for-2) finished the three-game set 7-for-9 with a pair of home runs, raising his average to .288, its highest level since June 25.

After salvaging a win in their three-game series with Washington, the Mets (84-67) will move on to Miami and try and lower their ‘magic number’ further. The rejuvenated Tom Glavine (13-6, 3.88), who is unbeaten over his last 13 starts, takes the mound looking to record a 14-win season for the 14th time in his career. The 41-year-old received a no-decision against Philadelphia in his last outing, surrendering two runs over 7 2/3 innings of a 3-2, extra-inning loss on Sep. 14. Glavine yielded two runs over 6 1/3 frames to Florida on Aug. 11 but was not involved in New York’s 7-5 defeat.

Fresh off a sweep by the Braves, the Marlins (65-87) will return home to try and put a crimp in New York’s plans for a second straight division title. Dontrelle Willis (9-15, 5.34), who has had a nightmare of a season, takes the hill looking for his second straight victory after a five-game winless stretch. The left-hander, originally scheduled to pitch on Wednesday night in Atlanta, earned a victory over Colorado on Sep. 14 despite allowing five runs in six innings. Willis, who owns an 11-3 mark against New York in his career, was pounded in his only start against them in 2007, yielding eight runs – six earned – in five frames.

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