WASHINGTON – On the day he lost his leadoff spot, Jose Reyes looked like a pesky no. 1 hitter.

Batting seventh instead of first, Reyes legged out an infield single for one of his two hits, got an RBI, and scored the tying and go-ahead runs. He stole a base, worked the count by taking pitches, and fouled off several more – helping wear down the opposing starter.

Not only did the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 yesterday, they also seemed to effectively send a message to a speedy player who entered the game with an odious .276 on-base average.

“Hopefully, I’ll come back tomorrow and do the same thing,” Reyes said.

The win moved the Mets back to .500 and snapped the Nationals’ six-game win streak in the first Fourth of July game in the nation’s capital in 37 years. The Senators beat the Yankees 4-2 in 1968 in RFK Stadium’s last Independence Day game. It was a rare setback at home for the Nationals, who still lead the majors with a 29-11 home record.

Reyes saw eight pitches in his first at bat and 10 his second time up. He didn’t get on base either time, but the patience of Reyes and his teammates took a toll on Nationals starter John Patterson on a hot afternoon. After Patterson hit the wall in the seventh, Reyes singled in the Mets’ first run off reliever Luis Ayala and came home on new leadoff hitter Mike Cameron’s broken-bat single.

Then, with the score 2-2 in the ninth, Reyes got an infield hit, stole his 24th base of the season, and scored on pinch hitter Jose Offerman’s single off Sun-Woo Kim (1-1).

“He gave us a nice little shot in the arm with his speed and the way he makes things happen. He had a good game today, and I’m proud of him,” manager Willie Randolph said. “I spoke to Jose about what I was going to do and he was fine with it.”

A day after his team was shut out by Florida’s Dontrelle Willis, Randolph batted Cameron leadoff for only the second time this season, while Carlos Beltran hit second for the first time. The most glaring stat that prompted the moves: Reyes has just 10 walks this season.

“He’s learning how to play the game. It’s very difficult to be selective overnight when you’re used to being aggressive,” Randolph said. “He under stands that it’s not easy. To ask a kid who’s 20-something years old to do that, on the job, when he’s used to swinging, it’s unfair.”

An RBI double by Cameron and an RBI single by Beltran provided insurance runs in the ninth, making a winner of Roberto Hernandez (4-2), who pitched two scoreless innings in his 14th consecutive appearance without yielding a run. Hernandez has a 0.00 ERA in 17 2 /3 innings in road games this season.

Braden Looper worked the ninth for his 18th save.

Randolph’s new lineup was ineffective early against Patterson, who allowed just two hits through six innings. But he departed after Marlon Anderson singled and David Wright doubled to start the seventh, having thrown 116 pitches. He walked two, struck out seven, and got his ninth no-decision in 14 starts.

Vinny Castilla, celebrating his 38th birthday, doubled to open the second inning and scored on Junior Spivey’s two-out double. Jose Guillen made it 2-0 in the sixth with an RBI double.

Mets lefty Kazuhisa Ishii had his best start since late May, allowing five hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.