Starling Marte’s 10th-inning walk-off single gives Mets 2-1 win over Nationals

NEW YORK — No Francisco Lindor? No problem.

For one game, at least.

Starling Marte’s 10th-inning walk-off single fueled the playoff-hopeful Mets’ come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Nationals on Monday night to kick off the final homestand of the season.

Marte began the game on the bench due to a forearm issue stemming from a hit-by-pitch on Saturday, but he entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning Monday.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak by the Mets, who began Monday tied with the Braves for the third and final National League wild-card spot.

With Lindor out of the lineup due to an injured back, Washington starter Jake Irvin began the game with three perfect innings and held the Mets scoreless through seven.

But the Mets finally broke through against Irvin in the eighth inning, when Tyrone Taylor led off with a double. Taylor later scored when Jose Iglesias delivered a two-out RBI infield single that hit off of reliever Derek Law, tying the game, 1-1.

Irvin had limited the Mets to three hits — all singles — through the first seven innings.

The Mets loaded the bases against him with two outs in the fourth, and Mark Vientos nearly notched an RBI infield single with a slow chopper down the third-base line. But Irvin got off the mound, barehanded the ball and made a perfect throw to extinguish the rally.

An amped-up Irvin unleashed a guttural scream as he walked off the field.

Irvin previously shut the Mets out for eight innings in the Nationals’ 1-0 win at home on July 4. Five days later, the Mets tagged the 27-year-old right-hander for six runs on nine hits at Citi Field.

Keeping the Mets in Monday’s game was another stellar start by Sean Manaea, who fired seven innings of one-run ball, striking out six. His lone blemish came on José Tena’s fourth-inning RBI single, which accounted for the game’s first run.

It was Manaea’s seventh consecutive start of at least 6 2/3 innings, and the sixth time in the last 10 starts that the left-hander went seven innings. He boasts a 2.49 ERA over his last 10 starts.

The Mets have won Manaea’s last seven starts.

Facing the Nationals for the first time since they traded him to the Mets in July, Jesse Winker went 0 for 3 with a walk.

Lindor, the Mets’ leadoff hitter and RBI leader, has been dealing with soreness and tightness in his lower back, causing him to leave Friday and Sunday’s games in Philadelphia early and to miss Saturday’s altogether.

An MRI came back clean Monday, and Lindor said he plans to return during the regular season — and possibly this week.

Monday also marked the latest Citi Field return of Grimace, the purple McDonald’s mascot whose viral ceremonial first pitch on June 12 coincided with the start of a Mets seven-game winning streak.

Clearly, there’s still some Grimace magic in the Flushing air.