WASHINGTON — Too often this season, the Mets have taken steps forward in their play, only to suffer a devastating loss the next night. One step forward, only to take three steps back, sometimes more.

The Mets might not have won their fourth straight Wednesday night, but unlike in recent losses, they didn’t take a step back. In a 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Mets didn’t blow any leads, there were no defensive gaffes and the lineup made life tough on right-hander Brad Lord.

A three-run comeback after going down 5-1 looked a lot more like the early season Mets than the summer Mets. Brett Baty hit his 15th home run of the season and Jeff McNeil drove in two runs one night after driving home three.

After going down 4-0 in the fourth, Baty hit his second home run in as many da

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