Max Scherzer can't hold lead as Nats fall five games back

The Nationals couldn't hold a two-run lead, wasting an opportunity as they fell back to five games behind the Mets with an 8-5 loss.

Max Scherzer gave up solo homers to Michael Conforto and Kelly Johnson in the second and another to Yoenis Cespedes in the fourth. It was the third time in his last eight starts that Scherzer has surrendered three longballs in a game.

"I just gotta execute better," Scherzer said. "I gotta find a way to execute pitches keep the ball out of the middle of the plate. I feel like my pitches are there. I made great pitches throughout the outing, but I keep making mistakes and keep giving up home runs on that. That's something I have to correct."

But the Nationals battled back, exploding for five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Consecutive singles from Ryan Zimmerman and Yunel Escobar followed by a walk to Ian Desmond loaded the bases for Wilson Ramos with no outs.

Mets starter Jonathan Niese offered a 1-2 slider and Ramos crushed it to left field for his second career grand slam.

"Huge grandy by Willy," Bryce Harper said. "That was a great at-bat by him. Niese actually threw a pretty damn good pitch right there, and Wily just got under it a little bit and shot him."

Michael A. Taylor then ripped a base hit and scored on Jayson Werth's double to center giving the Nats a two-run advantage.

However, Scherzer allowed another run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles from Rueben Tejada and Curtis Granderson.

The Nats squandered a good scoring chance when Escobar and Desmond started the bottom of the frame with back-to-back singles. Ramos flew out to center and Taylor grounded out to Mets reliever Carlos Torres. With two outs and runners at second and third, Williams then opted for Scherzer to hit, even though the right-hander had already thrown 89 pitches and yielded four runs.

Scherzer grounded out to end the threat and then moments later gave up a leadoff double to Cespedes in the sixth.

"He's our best option in the sixth inning," Williams said, explaining his strategy. "He's got pitches left. We want to make sure we're getting to the eighth. He's at (89 pitches) and he's got the lead. He's our No. 1 for a reason."

Dancing back and forth, Cespedes caused Scherzer to balk. The Mets slugger advanced to third where he tagged and scored from in Travis d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly to left to tie the game.

"I'm just disappointed I wasn't able to hold that lead," Scherzer said. "That's something I take pride in is when you get a lead like that and your offense wakes up and responds. Willy hits a big grand slam and we go up 5-3. I take pride in just putting up those zeroes to be able to turn it over to the bullpen. It's extremely frustrating that I wasn't able to do that and get that lead to the bullpen and let them tie it."

The shaky Nats bullpen then experienced an adventure in the seventh. After giving up a leadoff single Wilmer Flores, right-hander Blake Treinen made a nice play to force him out at second on Ruben Tejada's bunt. Nationals manager Matt Williams then went to lefty Felipe Rivero to face the left-handed swinging Curtis Granderson. Rivero quickly walked Granderson and Williams yanked him for right-hander Casey Janssen against David Wright.

Wright lined Janssen's 89 mph fastball over Desmond's outstretched glove into left-center field. Taylor came up throwing to the plate. It looked like they had a play on Tejada, but Escobar cut the throw off below the mound and the Mets reclaimed the lead.

"I went with my arm-side fastball, and he's a good hitter and hit the ball to left-center," Janssen said. "I attacked him and he just got it today."

That was it for Janssen, who has factored in all three Nats losses over the past week. Left-hander Matt Thornton didn't fare any better, surrendering an RBI sacrifice fly to Daniel Murphy and a run-scoring double to Cespedes.

Five Mets relievers combined to hold the Nats scoreless after starter Jonathan Niese was knocked out with one out in the third.

"Over it," Thornton said. "Ready for tomorrow. We're done. Today is done. We look forward to tomorrow and go out and try to win tomorrow and that's all that matters, the next day. Yesterday didn't matter when it was over. It doesn't matter that we're playing them, we need to win as many as (we can) and head-to-head is huge, obviously."

After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the loss, Harper was asked about the playoff-type atmosphere created by the 34,210 fans at Nationals Park.

"I mean, they left in the seventh," Harper said. "That's pretty brutal."