Nats pound Rays 16-4 with record offensive night

The Nationals came out swinging against Rays starter Alex Colome tonight. Denard Span led off the game with a single and then Bryce Harper ripped a two-out double to the gap in right-center. Former Nat Steven Souza Jr. did an excellent job of cutting off the ball and holding Span at third, where he stayed as Ramos grounded out to end the inning.

Colome wasn't so lucky in the second. Clint Robinson started the frame with a towering solo homer that disappeared in the rafters beyond the right field wall at Tropicana Field. Danny Espinosa and Michael A. Taylor both followed with bunt singles. After Ian Desmond struck out, Colome served up back-to-back walks to Span and Anthony Rendon, plating Espinosa for the second run.

Yunel Escobar then busted it open with a two-run single smoked to left field. After Harper drew his major league-leading 54th walk, Ramos lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Rendon.

That brought Robinson back to the plate again. Facing a 3-1 count, Robinson blistered a double to center field. Escobar came home for the sixth run, but Harper was nailed at the plate while trying to score from first.

Update: Rays left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser hung a slider to Harper to start the fifth and the ball ended up in the netting above the stingray tank beyond the right-center field wall. The solo blast was Harper's 22nd homer on the year, leaving him one behind Miami's Giancarlo Stanton for the major league lead.

Robinson then walked and Espinosa, Taylor and Desmond rattled off three straight singles to score two more runs. For Desmond, the base knock ended an 0-for-18 slump.

The Nats added their 10th run when Rays right fielder David DeJesus lost a liner in the lights for an error.

The Rays finally got on the board in the fifth against Tanner Roark.

Roark has allowed one run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts through five innings.

Update II: Espinosa and Rendon delivered RBI singles in the seventh and Desmond scored on a sacrifice fly by Escobar to give the Nats three more runs.

Down 13-1, Rays manager Kevin Cash turned to infielder Jake Elmore to pitch the eighth and Wilson Ramos greeted Elmore with a solo shot to center. The homer gave the Nats a season-high 14 runs.

Roark pitched seven solid innings, surrendering just one run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Espinosa is 5-for-5 with five singles and three runs scored.

Update III: Cash sent infielder Nick Franklin to the mound in the ninth and Ramos again took advantage. This time it was a two-run homer crushed to left field.

Robinson followed with a single to center for his fourth hit of the night. Overall, the 23 hits tonight set a new Nationals record.

Nationals manager Matt Williams brought Drew Storen in for some work in the ninth and Storen gave up a three-run homer to Rays catcher Rene Rivera.

Lefty Matt Thornton came on to record the last out of the game.

The Nats beat the Rays 16-4.