-Endy Chavez scored on Washington reliever Gary Majewski’s throwing error in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 2-1 win over the Nationals last night.

Chavez was brought in to run for 47-year-old Julio Franco, who walked with one out in the inning. Chavez moved to second on a single to left by Jose Reyes. When Paul Lo Duca hit a bouncer back to Majewski (1-2), it looked as if the Nationals might be able to turn a double play and send the game into extra innings. Lo Duca even threw his bat to the ground with a look of frustration.

But Majewski’s throw to second was high, glancing off the outstretched glove of shortstop Royce Clayton and into center field. Chavez slowed slightly as he approached third, then took off for home with the winning run.

New York’s Billy Wagner (2-0) struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.

The Mets, who left 11 runners on base, had several good scoring chances. In the third, Xavier Nady led off with a double and moved to third on a passed ball. After Kaz Matsui flied out, starting pitcher Victor Zambrano was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and third with one out.But Reyes struck out and Lo Duca hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

In the sixth, the Mets had runners at second and third with two outs but pinch-hitter Jose Valentin flied out to right.

The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Brian Schneider singled in Nick Johnson. Carlos Delgado tied it in the sixth with his 10th homer of the season.

Delgado’s drive was also the 379th of his career, tying him with Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez for 54th on the career list.

The Mets got a solid outing from the maligned Zambrano, who entered the game with a 1-2 record and an ERA of 9.64. He went six innings, giving up one run on five hits.

Ramon Ortiz allowed one run and seven hits in six innings for the Nationals. He struck out two and walked two.

Before the game, the Mets announced the right-hander John Maine will be called up from Triple-A Norfolk to start tonight’s game against the Nationals in place of the injured Brian Bannister.

It will be the first appearance with the Mets for Maine, who was acquired along with Jorge Julio in the off-season deal that sent Kris Benson to Baltimore.

Bannister (2-0) hurt himself while running the bases in last Wednesday’s 9-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He began limping as he approached third base on Kaz Matsui’s RBI double and barely made it home before falling to the ground.

The 25-year-old right-hander was diagnosed as having a Grade I strain – the most mild. But the first-place Mets decided not to take any chances, giving him a couple of weeks to recover.

Before the game last night, a taped tribute was shown on the Shea Stadium video board highlighting the career of Franco, who became the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run when he accomplished the feat against San Diego on April 20. The video was set to Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.”