Michael A. Taylor's dramatic walk-off homer sends Nats surging

Not long ago, Bryce Harper bluntly delivered a message that was echoed by several teammates - the Nationals didn't care about the Mets. Throw that out the window as players and coaches delayed showers and meals to sit intently watching as the first-place Mets battled the Marlins in extra innings.

When the Marlins delivered the game-winning run in the 11th, the Nationals clubhouse erupted. It's still a five-game National League East lead for New York, but the Nationals will take it especially after nearly squandering the opportunity for most of the night before finally beating the Braves in a thriller, 5-2.

A day after pummeling the Braves by the largest margin of victory in Nationals history, the Nationals barely sniffed the plate. A thunderous solo blast from Harper - the longest measured homer in the young slugger's career - to the second deck in deep right-center field lit up the scoreboard with two outs in the first for the Nats.

But that was the lone run the Nationals managed as they approached the ninth trailing 2-1. Facing Braves fireballer Arodys Vizcaino, Yunel Escobar ripped a 100 mph fastball down the right field line for a leadoff double. Nationals manager Matt Williams inserted speedy rookie Trea Turner in the game to pinch-run for Escobar, then instructed Ian Desmond to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Desmond failed in his first two attempts but they stuck with the plan and the veteran dropped a perfect two-strike bunt to advance Turner to third.

"(Desmond) looked at me," Williams recalled. "He felt comfortable with two strikes. We wanted to get that runner to third base and have an opportunity there. He did a nice job laying it down."

Just needing a sacrifice fly, Williams sent Wilson Ramos in to pinch-hit, but Vizcaino sent Ramos quickly retreating back to the dugout after three pitches, reaching back for a 101 mph heater for his strikeout pitch.

That brought seldom-used outfielder Matt den Dekker to the plate as the Nationals' final hope with two outs. On a 1-0 count, den Dekker, who the Nats acquired from the Mets at the end of spring training, drilled another fastball up the middle for a base hit, scoring Turner to even the score.

"(Vizcaino) was bringing it," den Dekker said. "He threw a fastball and just pulled it in a little bit. I saw it out of his hand. After that first pitch, I kind of had him timed up. I was just trying to take a short stroke on it and not do too much. A guy throwing that hard, you can't really get too big. You gotta stay short and stay through the middle, and that's what I did."

"I was doing the Florida Gator from the dugout, the gator bait for him," Harper said of den Dekker, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native.

Jonathan Papelbon, who had already handled the ninth, shut the Braves down in order in the 10th, setting the stage for the dramatics.

Harper slapped a single to left to start the frame and then raced to third on Ryan Zimmerman's ensuing base knock up the middle.

With the Nats just needing a deep fly ball to win it, Williams called on rookie Michael A. Taylor, a normal starter who's missed the past couple games with a bruised right knee. On the second pitch, Taylor didn't give the Braves a chance to catch the ball, pulverizing a towering walk-off three-run homer to deep left-center, sending the Nats into a frenzy.

"Mikey T., that was awesome," Harper said. "It was unbelievable to see, especially when he's been missing a couple games with his knee and what not. Coming through for the team was huge. (Not) a better guy to hit a walk-off right there."

Before the memorable at-bat, Taylor said he was standing close to Williams throughout the game trying to get his attention.

"I wasn't in there," Taylor said. "I want to play. I was standing at the bat rack the whole game trying to get in the game. Just to be able to get in there and get a chance, I was happy for that."

den Dekker, the former Met, was asked what reaction he believes Mets fans had regarding his crucial hit.

"Hopefully they weren't happy," den Dekker said.