Desmond, Span go back-to-back (Haren cruising through six)

The Nationals had scored two runs off Dillon Gee in 18 2/3 innings against the Mets right-hander this season. They scored two runs off Gee in the second inning alone today, and they have a 2-0 lead thanks to back-to-back homers from Ian Desmond and Denard Span. The home runs came on back-to-back pitches by Gee. Desmond's homer was his 16th of the season, giving him the outright team lead. He crushed a 3-2 changeup from Gee into the red seats in center, putting the Nats on the board. Span didn't waste much time doubling the Washington lead, lifting a 90 mph Gee fastball - the first pitch of the at-bat - over the tall wall in right. In the Nationals' 105th game of the season, Span finally has his first homer of the year. He had joked in recent weeks about how he needed to get off the schnide, and he delivered some forceful high-fives to teammates on his way back to the dugout. That had to feel good. Span's last longball came all the way back on Oct. 2, 2012. This marks the seventh time this season the Nats have hit back-to-back jacks. Update: Bryce Harper decided to get in on the home run fun. Harper smoked a two-run shot to center in the third inning, bringing in Dan Haren, who had doubled leading off the inning, and giving the Nats a 4-0 lead. This was Harper's 15th homer of the season, tying him with Jayson Werth for second on the team behind Desmond's 16 longballs. The Nats normally have major trouble with Gee, but not today. None of the three homers so far have been cheapies, and Haren's double was ripped, as well. Update: The Mets got to Dan Haren in the sixth, manufacturing a run on an Eric Young Jr. single, a stolen base and a David Wright RBI single under Ryan Zimmerman's glove, but that's their lone run of the day to this point. Haren has been exceptional, allowing just three hits and striking out four through six. He's thrown 87 pitches, 61 for strikes. The Nats got a gem from Ross Ohlendorf (seven innings, one run) yesterday. Today, they're getting great stuff from Haren. And they've actually scored enough runs to possess a 4-1 lead midway through the sixth.