Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Ryan Church homered, doubled and drove in four runs, as the New York Mets surged past the Washington Nationals, 6-3, in the second of a four-game series at Shea Stadium.

Brian Schneider went 3-for-4, knocked in a run and scored twice for the Mets, who have split the first two games of the set. Jose Reyes added an RBI single, while Moises Alou and David Wright each went 2-for-4 and scored a run.

John Maine (5-2) earned the win after holding the Nats to two runs -- one earned -- on two hits while striking out five in six innings. Billy Wagner struck out two in the ninth for his eighth save. The southpaw has yet to surrender an earned run in 15 2/3 frames this season.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer for Washington, which lost for the sixth time in eight games, while Elijah Dukes doubled and scored. John Lannan (3-4) took the loss after allowing four runs and a season-high 12 hits in six frames.

Lannan kept the Mets at bay until the sixth, when Schneider and pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis -- making his first major league at-bat since 2006 -- picked up consecutive singles. One out later, Church smashed a line drive to right that was misjudged by Austin Kearns and went over his head for a two-run double to give the Mets the lead, 4-2.

"The ball was hit hard, I didn't really look at it," Lannan said. "It was just a bad pitch. I should've kept it down there, and I didn't."

Dukes doubled off Matt Wise to start the road seventh, moved to third when Wil Nieves grounded out, then scored when pinch-hitter Rob Mackowiak grounded out to second.

Duaner Sanchez sandwiched walks to Cristian Guzman and Nick Johnson around a lineout to right by Zimmerman in the eighth, but struck out Lastings Milledge and got Kearns to ground to third for a force out to keep the Nats off the board.

The Mets tacked on a pair of insurance runs off Luis Ayala in the eighth on an RBI single from Reyes and a sacrifice fly by Church, and Wagner worked around a pinch-hit single by Aaron Boone in the ninth for the save.

"We just couldn't get anything going," Nats manager Manny Acta said. "John is tough, and as usual he went out and gave a good effort, we just couldn't get anything together and come through."

The Mets loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the second, and while Alou scored on Schneider's fielder's choice, Lannan retired Maine and Reyes to avoid further damage.

Washington pulled in front in the top of the third, as Guzman reached on an error when Damion Easley's throw pulled Carlos Delgado off the bag at first, and Zimmerman made Maine pay by hammering a two-run shot deep into the stands in left.

Church tied the game in the bottom of the frame, leading off with a homer that carried just over the wall in center.

"When I hit it, I didn't think I had enough to get it out," Church said. "I honestly thought it was going to be one of those fly balls headed to the track, but it got out."

Wright followed by grounding a double to right, but Lannan settled down to keep the game tied.