MONTREAL – Tony Batista homered twice to reach 30 this season, Livan Hernandez pitched another complete game, and the Expos beat the Mets 6-1 last night before just 3,839 at Olympic Stadium.

The Expos, last in the NL East since April 15 after getting off to a 2-7 start, got their fifth win in seven games to move within one game of tying the Mets – who have lost three straight – for fourth place in the division. The Mets finished last in the divison in 2002 and 2003.

Hernandez (11-14) allowed six hits, including Mike Piazza’s 20th homer, in his major league-leading ninth complete game. But it came in front of the third-smallest Montreal crowd this year.

Batista, whose three RBI increased his team-leading total to 106,hit his 29th homer off Al Leiter (9-8) leading off the fifth. Facing Heath Bell in the sixth, Batista connected on a 3-2 pitch for his third multihomer game of the season.

Juan Rivera slammed Bell’s next pitch for his 10th homer to make it 6-0.

Terrmel Sledge went 3-for-4 with two RBI for Montreal. Sledge hit an RBI single in the third, a run-scoring triple in the fifth, and doubled in the seventh, falling a home run short of the cycle.

Leiter extended his losing streak to four games, tying the worst streak of his career. He allowed six hits and three runs in five innings. Leiter walked five and struck out four, throwing just 64 of 115 pitches for strikes.

Hernandez struck out five and walked one for his 40th career complete game and second in a row. The right-hander matched his career high for complete games, set in 1998 with the Marlins.