Led by Harper, Nats offense has come charging back

SAN DIEGO - The Nationals had never scored more than seven runs in franchise history in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. On Friday night, they poured in 10 runs in a runaway shutout win.

The attack started quick with the first five batters reaching base. A single from Bryce Harper plated Denard Span for the first run. A bases-loaded walk to Ryan Zimmerman sent Yunel Escobar across the plate. And even on a double play grounder by Wilson Ramos, the Nats were able to score. They put four on the board and it became the first time since April 3, 2008 that the Nats sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning on the road.

"We give ourselves opportunities, which is important for us," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "I mean, the first inning is indicative of our club. Denard got a base hit. Yunel had a great at-bat, long at-bat, and worked a base hit. Then you gotta be careful with the middle guys in the lineup. Especially everybody's being careful with Harp. So it provides us a bigger inning. That's what we want. It puts pressure on the opposing team and we've got guys all over the base paths."

Three more runs in the third inning knocked Padres starter Odrisamer Despaigne out of the game after the Nats racked up 10 hits against him.

On April 27, the Nats were 7-13 and 8 ½ games behind the first place Mets in the National League East. Their entire offense was in a slump with a team batting average of .215. They had hit 16 homers and scored 69 runs in 20 games.

Then came the revival the following day when the Nats somehow clawed back from an eight-run deficit to beat the Braves 13-12. Beginning with that epic game, the Nats have rolled off 13 of 17 and now stand just a half-game behind the Mets.

What's been the difference? How about a .311 team batting average, 22 homers and 111 runs scored over the 13-4 stretch.

"I mean, you knew it wasn't gonna stay slow," infielder Danny Espinosa said. "There's too many good hitters on this team. There was times early in the season where I thought guys were hitting the ball hard and it just wasn't falling. But guys are having good at-bats. It's like people always say hitting is contagious. And we're getting hits."

Espinosa has been one of the Nats' surprises so far. His 2-for-5 evening included a big two-run double to improve his season average to .271.

No coincidence, either, that the hot streak has coincided with Ramos' 17-game hitting streak, the best mark in the majors this season. Over that stretch, he's batting .373 (25-for-67).

But it's been Harper who's led the charge. He slugged his NL-leading 13th homer last night and collected two more RBIs on his third three-hit game of the season. In the five games on this first trip out west this season, Harper is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with two homers, two doubles and five RBIs.

"Like I've been saying since the beginning, we were gonna get going and I think everybody knew that," Harper said. "We're such a good team and we have so much fun out there and one through nine, it's just a good lineup. I mean, even our pitcher rakes."

Besides throwing six scoreless innings for his third win, starter Jordan Zimmermann roped a double off the wall in the third to give all nine Nationals starters at least one hit in the win.